As The World Falls Down
by Ichobana Rose
Summary: Turns out Jareth has a bad habit of banishing people who cross him...
1. Prologue

Hi! This fic was actually written by a friend of mine who i have successfully hooked on labyrinth. (which she may kill me for later) however throughout the story i'll add my little notes...but yeah for once i do not own this story. the author here will be referred to as Code Green. i had a few ideas, but most of it is hers, i'm just posting it here for her.

Enjoy!

**As The World Falls Down**

The mists from the Labyrinth and Crystalla cast an eerie blanket over the ocean-like mixture of fire and water that separated the two worlds from each other. Above the shimmering liquid was a great bridge; half of it formed out of stone, the other half of crystal. Behind the bridge were two great falls, one of fire and one of water, but both incredibly coming together in the center where the two worlds met.

On the bridge of two worlds were two people. One of them, a beautiful woman with rich dark hair interlaced with crystals, sat gracefully on the bridge, toying with glass beads that moved smoothly through her fair hands. Her eyes were of the most beautiful shades of purple and blue, matching her light purple dress that sparkled from the crystals that were sewn intricately upon it.

Above the woman of beauty stood a man with dark eyes and dark clothing to match. He had a look of seriousness, of pride, about his face, and the hairstyle of a goblin. His hair was very light and rested easily on his face, which was defined by high cheekbones, a sharp nose, and sharp eyes. His ears were slightly pointed, as well as his teeth, which he had set in a grimace, and his eyebrows arched.

The contrast of the beautiful crystal princess and the goblin king was as great as the two worlds that separated them.

"How quiet you are, Jareth," the princess said, turning her head to look up at the dark figure behind her.

"This is a place of serenity. There is not much one can say," Jareth answered, leaning against the bridge's railing. "You have been busy, Majeste."

Majeste smiled and stood up, turning to face Jareth. "Indeed, I have been. I made something for you that can perhaps shed a bit of light in the darkness of the Labyrinth."

"Something for me?"

"Yes. I know how easily you become bored, and so I created a gift to occupy you."

Majeste reached within the folds of her silky gown and pulled out three crystal orbs. She put one of her small hands on Jareth's, opening his fingers ever so slightly. She then placed the orbs in his hand and stepped back.

"Those orbs have the ability to grant wishes," she said, her voice soothing. "I wished to make a greater gift for you, for as the Goblin King, surely you should have more, but those were the most precious things I could think of. Use them wisely, Jareth."

Jareth nodded and then looked into Majeste's eyes, a small smile on his face. "I will use them in only ways that you would wish me to."

"I know you shall use them well. Now, I must return to my home. Until we meet again, my king."

The fair creature turned and walked across her half of the bridge, within seconds becoming hidden by the mist. Jareth gazed down again at the orbs and then observed them carefully, his eyes studying them, taking in every detail. He turned and walked back towards the Labyrinth and became engulfed in a dark blanket of smoke that flowed from his kingdom.


	2. Cast Away

Rose owns neither the Labyrinth nor this story, she is merely posting it for her friend Code Green.

**As The World Falls Down**

"Hoggle!"

The voice was loud and sharp with the touch of threat in it that Hoggle knew so well.

"Hoggle, come here immediately!"

Hoggle appeared in the doorway to the throne room, his small, hun

* * *

ched body quivering with nervousness.

"Yes, my master?"

"How long has it been since last we spoke with the people of Crystalla?"

Hoggle gazed with fear at Jareth who sat in rather a casual manner on his throne. The Goblin King's features had become harder during the adventure he had brought to Labyrinth. He had been awkwardly in love with a child named Sarah, had captured her brother, and then had somehow sent them back to their land and had turned into an owl. Hoggle was too simple-minded to understand any of it, and he very much hoped that Jareth didn't want him to play yet another cruel part in another eerie adventure.

"I believe, your majesty," Hoggle began nervously, "that you saw one of them when you returned from your adventure as an…an…"

"Owl?" Jareth hissed and then stood up. "How long ago was that?"

"I don't know much about time…" Hoggle stammered, "but I would say it was at least ten years."

"Ten years out of thousands," Jareth frowned and walked towards his throne room doors. He leaned against one of them and then looked at Hoggle. "How fare the people of Crystalla, or are you too ignorant to know?"

"No one is permitted on the bridge," Hoggle said uncomfortably.

"I hadn't thought to ask when Majeste turned me back into my normal self."

"Majeste?"

"The princess of Crystalla. What a beauty she was."

"You were in love with Sarah, I thought," Hoggle said and then wished that he hadn't.

It took two strides for Jareth to step over to Hoggle, grab the little man by his collar, and hoist him into the air.

"I was under a bit of a curse, as it were," Jareth growled. "Go to the bridge and call across to one of the messengers on the other side. Inform him that I want to see Majeste."

"On the bridge?" Hoggle choked.

"Yes."

"Yes sir!"

Jareth dropped Hoggle and then turned back towards his throne, not caring how hard Hoggle landed on the floor. Hoggle immediately got back to his feet and began to run, scared into flight. Jareth was not one to tangle with and when he wanted something, he wanted it immediately.

Jareth sat back on his throne and took out the three orbs. He moved them about fondly in his gloved hand, his thoughts afar off. He had indeed fallen in love with Sarah, and he had also let her go. It had taken him three years after to understand what had happened. When Sarah had been angry with her baby brother, Toby, she had wished that he would vanish to the land of the goblins. Jareth, being extremely bored, had heard her wish and had determined to grant it with the orbs. Toby was taken to the Labyrinth and was then followed by Sarah. What Jareth had not realized when he granted the wish was that he would be affected by it. He had believed that granting someone else's wishes would protect him from being a large part of it. Sarah had also dreamed, as part of her wish, that the Goblin King would fall in love with her, and so, unable to protect himself, Jareth had fallen greatly in love with her. Only after she left did he understand that he had fallen into his own spell, and he was disgusted to realize that he had been tangling with a girl who was scared of him. It horrified him and made him much more sour than he had been before.

Thirty minutes passed, and then Jareth held one of the orbs up to his face and glanced into it. "I wish to see Hoggle," he frowned, and instantly, Hoggle appeared in the orb. He was running towards the castle, having just left the bridge. "Hoggle," Jareth called, and instantly, one of the orbs appeared in front of Hoggle.

"Yes?" Hoggle asked, stopping momentarily to gaze at Jareth's face in the orb.

"Is she coming?"

"Yes, although reluctantly," Hoggle trembled.

Jareth smiled slightly and then returned the orb to its place in his pocket. He then stood up and pulled a black coat over his white shirt. With long strides he walked out of the throne room and then left the castle, goblins calling after him and asking him innumerable questions. Jareth simply rolled his eyes and kept walking, ignoring the calls of his cronies.

The bridge between two worlds didn't seem as peaceful as it used to when Jareth arrived. The water and fire were moving quickly, and splashes from both occasionally landed on the bridge. Jareth stepped onto the bridge and caught sight of Majeste also walking towards her place, her sheer and silk dress rustling wildly in the wind.

Jareth and Majeste arrived in the center of the bridge at the same time, and Majeste came to a fast stand still, her eyes shining.

"You wanted to see me?" Majeste asked gently.

"That I did. It has been long since last I saw you," Jareth said, his countenance dark and unwelcoming.

"Yes, it has been."

"Why?"

"I didn't wish to see you," Majeste said, standing up taller.

"That is uncharacteristic of you," Jareth said, his voice cold.

"Perhaps."

"It has been ten years and all you can say is 'perhaps'?" Jareth asked, his voice getting louder.

"What do you wish me to say?"

"Why it is you have been shunning me. Why, ever since you turned me back into myself, you refuse to see me! I have had festivities that I have invited you to as well as banquets, and you have not come."

"You have taken advantage of the gifts I gave you," Majeste said, struggling to remain calm. "You used them to somehow bring another girl here. You fell in love with her, and I believed that you wished to be with her. You have become cold and uncaring, and I want nothing to do with that."

"Uncaring?" Jareth snarled. "Why, then, did I wish to see you?"

"For your own personal gain. I have another gift," Majeste said uncomfortably, Jareth's rage beginning to affect her.

"I don't want another gift. I brought you here to speak to you about our relationship."

"There is no relationship left."

"I could give you the whole world if you asked for it."

"I have my own world to care for," Majeste said, putting her hand into an unseen pocket and then drawing it back out again. "Here is your gift."

She held a beautiful necklace out to Jareth. The chain was made of golden glass beads, and in the center of the necklace was a crystal in the shape of an orb.

"Why would I want a necklace?" Jareth asked.

"To remind you," Majeste said simply, still holding the necklace out to him.

"To remind me of what?"

"How to care for others."

"I care about you. Come with me and be my queen. You can have everything you want," Jareth said, ignoring the gift.

"I cannot have what I want, Jareth, because you cannot give it to me now. I want your heart, your concern, but you have neither. It will take another adventure of yours to bring those back."

"You refuse me!" Jareth snapped, taking a step closer to the beautiful princess. "I offer you the world and you refuse me!"

"There are more important things than the world, Jareth!" Majeste exclaimed. "I haven't harmed you!"

Jareth grabbed the offered necklace from her and threw it into the fire, his eyes burning as brilliantly as the explosion did. Majeste looked down, calm and unafraid. Jareth was outraged. Here he had offered everything, including himself, to Majeste, and she refused him! It was outrageous, and every bit of anger inside of him was burning.

"Perhaps it will take an adventure for you to see things my way," Jareth said, his voice suddenly very calm.

Majeste looked up, her eyes searching his. "I know that tone of voice," she said, beginning to step away from him. "Jareth, please be reasonable."

"I will be," Jareth said coolly, pulling out the orbs she had given him and allowing them to circulate on his hand. "Remember these, Majeste?"

"How could I forget them?" Majeste asked, confused as she watched him spinning them about.

"I learned that they don't merely grant wishes," Jareth said, taking two steps towards her.

"What else can they do?" Majeste asked, her breathing short.

"They can transport people," Jareth smiled coldly. "All I have to do is make them spin like this."

Jareth demonstrated, and Majeste watched with cold dread as the orbs began to spin backwards, rolling effortlessly over Jareth's fingertips.

"Why are you doing that?" she whispered hoarsely.

"So that I can send you somewhere that you will reconsider my proposal."

"Jareth," Majeste choked, beginning to walk towards him. "Don't. You wouldn't dare!"

"You've never been on an adventure," Jareth said, his eyes glowing as he put the orbs closer to his face.

"Jareth, I mean it! Don't!" Majeste said, jumping at him, her hand outstretched towards the orbs.

Two seconds later, Majeste disappeared. Jareth smiled slightly and then put the orbs back into his pockets. "Hopefully you will reconsider my generous invitation, Majeste, after you've had a bit of time to yourself." He turned away from the bridge and then stalked back towards his castle feeling very victorious.

* * *

Majeste could feel herself falling, but everything was dark and she didn't know where she was. Within seconds, she had landed on a cold, damp floor, and she stood up quickly, gazing up with great hope that she would be able to see the ceiling or perhaps a hole in it. She saw neither. A strange, green mist surrounded her, and she could barely see slimy moss covering the walls that bound her.

"Jareth, this was unnecessary and cruel! I need light!" Majeste shouted, her voice echoing eerily in the immense room. "I can hardly see in here! Jareth, get me out!"

Majeste wasn't answered, and she began to follow the walls of the room, hoping to find some way to get out. She put her hands against the walls and then pulled them back quickly when the green slime began to ooze over her fingers. She could feel, more than see, that the vines on the walls were moving and that the moss was creeping all up and down the walls. To make her situation worse, it began to rain. She didn't know how, for there were no holes in the ceiling, but in a matter of seconds, she was drenched through and cold.

"This is how you would see me!" she shouted, trying to wrap some of the fabric of her dress around her arms to keep her warm. "You would see me cold and wet! Jareth, when I get out of here I'll see to it that you are well punished! I have done nothing to deserve this!"

"You speak as though you know the king," a sharp, hissing voice said.

Majeste immediately moved to the center of the room and gazed at the walls warily. "Where are you?" she asked, looking all about her.

"On one of the walls of course."

"Show yourself."

One of the vines on the wall began to move, and Majeste watched, with horror, as a gruesome creature left the wall and slithered towards her. He had the body of a snake, the legs of a lizard and the head of a disgusting monster.

"Who are you?" Majeste gasped, moving back and grabbing hold of one of the walls.

"Holith," the creature hissed and then came to a stop in front of the soaked princess. "You are in my kingdom."

"No, I am in Jareth's," Majeste said, watching as the creature began to stand up. Holith was almost her height, and it frightened her. "What do you want with me?" she gasped.

"I want you to keep me company. You can't get out of here, no matter how hard you try."

"Don't come any closer!" Majeste warned as the creature began to move towards her again.

"Why not? I have you surrounded."

"Surrounded?"

Majeste gazed about at the walls and noticed that the vines were moving rapidly and more creatures that looked like Holith were slithering off the walls. All of them were a gruesome green color and all of them gazed at her with menacing yellow eyes.

"What do you eat?" Majeste found herself asking, still clinging to the wall.

"Whatever we can find," one of the creatures cackled.

"Jareth, I didn't think you wanted to kill me!" Majeste shouted, turning and grabbing hold of some of the slimy rocks that were beneath the moss. She tried to climb up them, but in a matter of seconds she slipped and fell to the floor again. "Don't eat me!" she ordered, kicking one of the creatures away from her. "I am the princess of Crystalla. If one of you so much as touches me you will be killed!"

"By whom?" Holith snapped.

"By my people. Stay back!"

"We haven't had anyone in here for two hundred years. Someone from the outside, with your beauty, is quite a treat," Holith spoke. "We shall see to it that you stay here."

"But I must get back to my kingdom!"

"Why?"

"Because if I don't it will fall apart!" Majeste exclaimed and then dropped to her knees. "Please, show me how to get out of this miserable place! Where am I?"

"In one of the great sections of the Labyrinth, of course. We've been instructed to keep you here."

"By whom?"

"The King of the Goblins, of course."

"Why are all of you here?"

"We are unworthy to dwell amongst the goblins," Holith hissed. "We abide in every place dark and damp."

"Surely there is a way out!"

"Is there?"

Majeste was frustrated. She stood up and walked over to one of the walls again. She began to pound against it, listening to see if it was hollow. It wasn't, and she continued to move around the room, pounding at the walls. When at last she found that none of them were hollow, she sat down on the floor and buried her face in her arms, trying to think. The mist swirled around her, and before she could understand what had happened, she had fallen asleep and was stretched out across the filthy floor.

Holith and his companions slithered about the princess as she slept, watching her in wonder. They could not understand why she had been cast into their world or why the Goblin King had wanted their help to begin with. She most certainly did not belong with them.

Majeste's sleep was not a peaceful one. She had disturbing dreams, dreams of a child being captured, dreams of Jareth waltzing around and completely enchanted by a young girl, and in the midst of all those dreams, she could hear Jareth singing. He had once sung to her songs of beauty and kindness. She could only see him singing to Sarah, though, and occasionally, as he danced with her, he turned his head ever so slightly, as though he was looking directly at Majeste, and smiled. His smile was cruel and cutting, and even in sleep, Majeste could feel pain. The sudden thought came to her in her dreams that Jareth was going to put Sarah in her place as princess of Crystalla.

Majeste's eyes shot open and she sat up violently, reaching out and grabbing a tight hold on Holith's neck as she did so. Holith let out a wheeze as Majeste dragged him towards her face.

"Holith!" she ordered, keeping her hold tight. "Tell me how to get out of here."

"Why the sudden violence?" Holith panted.

"I need to get out of here. My world needs me, and the longer I stay away from it, the more danger it is in. It will start destroying itself without me. I don't care who Jareth puts in my place! I need to go back and take care of my kingdom!"

"If I tell you how to get out, his majesty will kill me," Holith wheezed.

"If you don't tell me how to get out, I may just do that myself," Majeste threatened. "This is for the sake of an entire world. Thousands of lives are at stake. Don't think that because you are in the Labyrinth that you will be safe from Crystalla's fate. If my world is destroyed, the destruction will cross the abyss between Crystalla and the Labyrinth and the Labyrinth will also be destroyed."

"That is too complicated for me to understand," Holith growled.

"Just get me out!" Majeste shouted.

Holith pointed down with one claw. "The passageway is in the floor," he choked. "If you step on it, it will open up for you."

Majeste stepped to where Holith indicated and then stamped on the floor. The moss and rock beneath her foot gave way, and she dropped Holith.

"Thank you for your assistance, Holith," Majeste said as she sat down and put both feet in the hole. "You shall not be forgotten."

Majeste slipped easily through the hole, and Holith gazed through the room uncomfortably. "The king will not be pleased," he hissed fearfully.

Majeste found herself in a tight tunnel of sorts that was formed out of rock. She found places to put her feet and began to climb down it, her soft hands being cut on the rocks. She gasped with each new cut, but her determination kept her climbing.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, Majeste let go of the rocks and looked around. She was shocked to find that she was standing on only a few feet worth of solid ground. Surrounding the ground was water with fire licking up out of it. "There must be another way out," Majeste said, looking back up at the tunnel she had come from. She reached up and grabbed hold of some of the rocks. Just as her fingers grabbed hold, the tunnel began to move, going higher up into the air. "Wait!" Majeste panicked, her fingers scraping across the rocks as she tried to keep her hold on them. "No! I need to get back up!"

The tunnel continued to pull up, and within seconds, Majeste was trapped on a little island of ground in the midst of a fiery swamp. The flames licked near her feet, and she shuddered with fear. She began to see things moving in the flames, and she sat down and curled up in a ball, her eyes wide with fear. She couldn't see what it was that was moving, but it was something large and fast.

Seconds later, a large creature made out of fire and mud leaped at the crystal princess. Majeste screamed as the creature landed in a crouch in front of her, his forked tongue flicking in and out of his mouth as he looked at her.

"Trapped, are you?" the creature asked, eyes shining frighteningly.

"Get away from me!" Majeste cried as the creature began to pace in circles around her. He had a long, slinky body, and although he was large, he somehow managed to fit on the island with Majeste.

"I have orders to keep you here. My companions and I will see to it that you don't move," the creature chuckled. "Won't we, boys?"

Furry yellow frog-like creatures began to jump in and out of the flames, leaping in circles around Majeste and making ugly faces at her. Majeste, never having been subjected to such torment, was terrified. She tried her best to back away from the creatures, but every time she moved, she nearly fell off the island. The creatures sang to her as she struggled. They sang about their torment and the ugly homes they had beneath the sea of fire. Smoke filled Majeste's nose and mouth, and she struggled to breath.

"Please…stop…" she stammered as her vision began to fade. "I already fell asleep once. Not again. I don't want more nightmares. Go…away…"

The flurry of yellow creatures and fire swirling about Majeste was too much for her, as was the smoke that was crowding her breathing. She fell into a swoon and then faded into unconsciousness, the fiery red creature next to her being the last thing she saw.

The red creature stood next to her quietly, gazing at the beautiful, unconscious princess that lay before him. He knew, of course, who she was, for he had been given specific instructions to keep her on the island and not to harm her. The idea came to him that he would be greatly exalted if he at least touched the sleeping woman because then he could tell everyone and they would admire him. With that thought in mind, the creature moved towards the princess' face and reached out one paw, hoping to lay it on her cheek.

Before his paw could land on the maiden, a black-gloved hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed hold of the creature. The creature was flung towards the fiery lake and disappeared in its midst, howling with rage and humiliation.

Jareth knelt down next to the princess and gazed at her sleeping face. She was so pure and innocent, and yet, so wrong. Had she seen the pain Jareth had felt in the past several years for the way he behaved towards Sarah, she would not have condemned him of being cold and uncaring.

"And yet you still wished to torment me," Jareth snarled, pulling out one of the orbs. "For that you deserve nothing less than what you shall receive. I wish for her to see what happened. Show her, and let her feel the same pain that I have suffered!"

Jareth leaned closer to Majeste and put the orb in front of her face. He watched as some of the colors in the orb moved about and then waited.

_Majeste suddenly dreamed that she was in a great ballroom. Men and women in elegant garments, all of their faces covered, waltzed about her, a flurry of color. In the midst of the dancers she could see Jareth, dressed in his finest, with a young girl in his arms. He was gazing at her with all the admiration Majeste could ever have wished him to show to her. The girl was so close to him, so close that, in her dream, Majeste cried out. "Jareth!" Jareth started suddenly, as if shaken from a trance, and looked in her direction. He couldn't see her, but she could hear him crying out to her as he continued to dance, continued to sing, to Sarah. "Majeste!" "Why are you doing this?" Majeste wailed, watching as the two moved closer to her, neither of them seeing her. Again, while Jareth was singing, his voice cried out. "Majeste!" Majeste was confused and she could only stand still and watch. For one brief second, it seemed as though it was she in Jareth's arms, but the next second, it was Sarah again, both locked in the other's embrace, entirely oblivious to everyone and everything around them. "Majeste, help me!" "I can't!" Majeste cried out, reaching out to Jareth. "Jareth let go of her! Come to me!"_

The dream began to fade away, and tears streamed down Majeste's sleeping face. She reached out, as though trying to get a hand on Jareth, and in her sleep, she put a hand on his arm. "Jareth, stop this!" she pleaded aloud, the dream continuing to fade. "I don't understand! Help me!"

Majeste's touch almost caused Jareth to stay still and wait for her to wake up, but he remembered that he was being watched by his subjects, remembered how she had refused him, and he stood up, her hand slipping off his arm. He turned away from her, and just as he began to walk back into the flames, Majeste sat up and saw him.

"Jareth!" she cried out, struggling to her feet and beginning to walk towards him. "Jareth!"

"Where? Where?" the frog-like creatures mocked her as Jareth disappeared into the smoke.

Majeste nearly stepped into the flames, but she remembered, at exactly the right time, that she was trapped on an island, and she quickly moved back to the center of it.

"I saw him!" she gasped, breathing heavily. "There is something I am supposed to know. Jareth, come back! I want to understand!"

"Understand what?" the red creature next to her hissed.

"Understand the dream," Majeste said slowly. "Or, was it not really a dream and I was actually there?"

"Where were you?" the creature hissed.

"With Jareth, at a great ball. He was trying to tell me something. There was pain in his face," Majeste said thoughtfully, gazing into the flames. "He wanted me to know something."

The creature looked deeply into Majeste's face and then began to laugh. His laugh was shrill and cold, and the other creatures in the flames began to laugh with him, making faces at Majeste and mocking her.

"We saw Jareth!" they shrieked with laughter.

"He was dancing with me!"

"No, it was I!"

"Oh, what a dancer he is! What a spectacular Goblin King!"

"And she thinks he was dancing with her?"

"You're just plain crazy!"

"Everyone knows he loves Sarah!"

"Why would he care for a plain thing like you?"

"That's enough!" Majeste cried, tears streaming down her dirty face. "Stop it!"

"Why should we?"

Three of the frog-like creatures joined hands and began to dance over the flames.

"She thought she saw the king! The king whose name is Jareth! The admirer of the beautiful and compassionate Sarah! Oh what a fool she is! The princess who thinks more! How could he possibly love a pitiful creature when it's Sarah he adores?"

"I said enough!" Majeste sobbed, but the dancers only came closer to her and continued their chant.

Majeste, in utter despair, took hold of the necklace she wore about her neck. It was a beautiful gold necklace with a crystal star on the end of it. She held the star up to the dancing trolls and then spoke. "Be gone."

The creatures suddenly turned to crystal, and the crystal in Majeste's hand disappeared. The red creature near her took a few steps away from her, eying the necklace warily. Majeste released her hold on the necklace and then sat down on the island again. She thought about her dream and wondered why Jareth had been calling her. Perhaps he was calling to mock her in her sleep.

Several hours passed and Majeste spent them all in wonder. Only when her stomach growled did she stop thinking about Jareth. She looked over at the red creature that was in a crouch at her side.

"How can I get food here?" Majeste asked.

"Swim for it," the creature snarled.

"What is there to eat?"

The creature didn't answer but watched the water hungrily. One of the frog-like creatures leaped out of the water, and at that precise moment, the red creature flicked out its tongue, caught its prey, and swallowed it whole. Majeste sat back, aghast.

"Those creatures were just singing and dancing! They are creatures that think, and you surely shouldn't eat them! That was disgusting!"

"You pity the creatures you turned to crystal," the creature snarled, smacking its lips. "As for how it's disgusting, my name is Grues. Perhaps that will give you food for thought."

"You heed to the will of Jareth?"

"The Goblin King, yes."

"Surely he didn't want me to eat those creatures."

"The King loathes you, O beautiful one. He wished worse for you. There are creatures in the bottom of the lake that I was to obtain for you. I shall go get them for you now, if you wish."

"The creatures below the surface are more terrible?"

Grues smiled cruelly, his tongue still flicking in and out. "Yes, they are."

"Nothing could be more disgusting than eating a living, breathing creature."

Grues closed his mouth, slithered to the edge of the island, and then slid over the edge into the water. Majeste watched as his large body disappeared beneath the surface of fire. As soon as he was gone, Majeste stood up and gazed at the stone ceiling.

"Jareth, I know you are watching me. Please, give me something edible to eat."

"Everything is edible," one of the frog creatures called, leaping out of the water.

"Everything you see is edible," another one chanted.

"Don't start singing again," Majeste warned.

"It's all a matter of perspective."

Majeste frowned and turned to see Grues coming to the surface of the water. He climbed back onto the island and dropped something near Majeste's feet.

"Eat up," he hissed and then curled up and closed his eyes.

Majeste looked at the food that was being offered to her and nearly retched. In front of her was a large pile of moving shells, each one covered in grime and water.

"What are these?" she asked, moving away from the shells.

"Eyes of despas." Grues said.

"Despas?"

"Large worms with parasites all over them. They live at the bottom of the lake so they can clean up whatever dead thing happens to drift there."

Majeste's stomach churned and she kicked the creatures back into the water.

"That was perfectly good food!" Grues snapped, his fangs nearly hitting Majeste's legs.

"You can eat them," Majeste said, sitting down weakly.

"Everything is edible if you look at it the right way," one of the frog creatures chanted again, and Grues promptly ate him.

Majeste looked carefully at the ground she was sitting on and noticed that it was made of coarse, sand-colored material. She scooped up some of the ground in her hand and tasted a bit of it. It tasted exactly like wheat. Eagerly, Majeste put more of the sand in her hand and then added some of the water to it. She mixed the sand and water together and then ate what was in her hand, licking off every last crumb.

"You don't know what that is, do you?" Grues asked, his bright eyes blazing.

"Don't tell me," Majeste said, making another handful of the mush. "How long did Jareth want you to keep me here?"

"Until you come to your senses."

"And when will that be? When I agree to his proposal?"

"What did he want that your answer so angered him?" Grues asked.

"He wanted me to marry him."

"Not a bad offer from a king like him."

"Why would I want to marry someone who seduces young girls? Tell me that?" Majeste asked, eating the meal in her hand.

"Seduces?" Grues hissed. "Did not, perhaps, the girl captivate him?"

"How so? She was not a magical creature," Majeste replied.

Grues laughed again and began to circle Majeste, his eyes frightening to behold. "Jareth is easily wiled by dreams. Perhaps he had some dream that made him care for you, and he really doesn't care about you at all. Maybe you are here because he hates you. Doesn't that sound logical? He casts you away from him, into the darkest parts of his world, so he never has to see you again."

"I never thought Jareth cared for me," Majeste said simply.

"Then why are you so upset about him caring for another?"

"Good night, Grues," Majeste sighed and then washed her hands in the lake. She lay down on the sand and gazed up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and thought about how she and Jareth had been many years before. They had seen each other every day before the adventure had started. Jareth had said things that he most likely hadn't meant, due to his present behavior, but the words had become seared on Majeste's heart and she couldn't get rid of them, try as she might. She reminded herself that Jareth was a goblin, and as such, he was inclined only to think about himself. He was entirely selfish and prideful, and she wondered if that was perhaps because of what he was, rather than because of his own character.

Majeste was not a completely ignorant woman. She knew that she had to somehow escape the lake of fire and return to her country. Her father was old and needed her to help him rule his kingdom. The time of his death was near, and if she were not there when he died, the kingdom would fall apart. After her father died, Majeste didn't believe she would ever see Jareth again, and at the present time, it was a relief to her. She tried not to think of his handsomeness or the things he had once told her. Instead, she envisioned him as a prideful, foolish king surrounded by his ridiculous, ugly subjects.

Majeste did not sleep long, and when she awoke, she had a plan. Grues was asleep near her, and she went over to him quietly. She made certain that he was sleeping, and then, as quickly as she could, she wrapped her hands around his neck and held on tightly. Grues woke up choking, and when he saw why, his evil eyes widened remarkably.

"What do you want?" Grues wheezed, his tongue licking against Majeste's hand as it flicked in and out.

"You know how to swim through the lake?"

"Yes."

"You will bring me to the other side of it," Majeste said. "If you do that, I will give you the remnant of my necklace."

"If I don't?" Grues asked.

"I will leave you to get eaten by the despas."

"You would have to kill me first."

"Would I? It seems to me that the frog creatures wouldn't mind doing that to you themselves. You've certainly killed off plenty of their kind," Majeste said easily.

Grues considered her remarks and then nodded his head slowly. "Very well then. I will take you across."

"And you will not bring me up for air until we get there," Majeste warned. "I am not a fool, Grues. If you rise to let me breath, I will be burnt."

Grues growled but then nodded his head again. "Are you ready?"

Majeste glanced up at the wall and ceilings that surrounded the island, trying to find if Jareth was watching them.

"There aren't any orbs in here," Grues hissed. "He can't see you."

"It would take a matter of seconds for an orb to suddenly appear," Majeste said. "We don't want him to see where we are going. Go now."

Majeste wrapped her arms tightly around Grues' body, and the large creature slipped easily into the water. He immediately plunged down, and through the water, Majeste could see flames licking above her. She looked down below her and could see the despas, large, stony creatures with no eyes. They were moving very slowly, always bonking into each other in their blindness.

Grues swam quickly, and within a minute's time, he poked his head up out of the water, Majeste still clinging to him.

"We are at the other side," he hissed.

Majeste nodded and grabbed hold of the land. She pulled herself onto it and then turned to Grues.

"Thank you for your help," she said, removing the necklace from around her neck. "This is for you."

Majeste put the necklace around Grues' neck and clipped it closed. She then watched as the creature turned and disappeared again beneath the water. As soon as he was gone, she stood up and gazed about her again, searching for one of the orbs. She didn't see any of them and she turned and walked across the ground, hoping to find a way out of the immense room.

Majeste did not see, as she moved towards one of the walls, the bubbles that came from beneath the water's surface. So occupied was she in finding a way out that she didn't notice when one of the orbs floated gently out of the water and hovered above it, watching her.


	3. Swans and Insane Kings

Yay another chapter. i know the last one was long, wasn't it? but it was worth it!

Me no own :(

**As The World Falls Down**

"She always was a clever one," Jareth smiled to himself as he watched Majeste climbing out of the water. "She's still beautiful when she's drenched through."

"Perhaps we should go there and drench her again," one of the goblins said from the side of his throne.

"This time, we'll keep her under there for good!" another goblin cackled, and the other goblins joined in.

Jareth frowned and grabbed hold of the goblin that had last spoken. He held him up, close to his face, and sneered, "I don't want her dead, you slime! I want her here with me!"

"Then why don't you bring her here?" one of the goblins asked and then yelped as Jareth brought his boot down on the creature's small foot.

"I want her to be with me," Jareth said, striding over to one of the great open windows of the throne room. "I want her to come crawling to me, begging me for forgiveness and begging me to be with her."

The goblins began to giggle and Jareth scowled. "What is so amusing now?" he snapped.

The goblins cowered in the corner of the room, shaking their heads. "Nothing!" they sniveled. "Sounds like a marvelous plan!"

"A beautiful plan!"

"Clever!"

"What will happen to her next?"

"Next," Jareth said, "I shall masquerade as a memory in the Winds of Time. I'll feed her the most glorious poetry she's ever heard, and she'll come to me. As soon as she nears me, I shall disappear again, leaving her alone with all her beautiful thoughts. I'll let hundreds of her dreams appear before her and then vanish before she can get them. It will leave her in desperation, and she'll beg to me for me to save her."

"Beautiful!"

"Splendid!"

"Genius!"

Jareth smiled and then sat back down on his throne again, a glint of mischief in his eyes. Oh, how he would like to see Majeste fallen before him, crying to him for help, to take her back.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly brought Jareth out of his reveling, and he glanced out one of the windows to see at least ten swans of enormous size flying as quickly towards him as they could. Atop each of their backs were two tiny people made of crystal. They wielded tiny spears, and these they threw at the goblins, who, cowards that they were, fled quickly from the throne room, leaving Jareth to fend for himself.

Jareth snorted as the birds moved rapidly towards him, and he reached out a hand to grab hold of the orbs, which he had left on the arm of his throne.

"Don't touch them!" One of the crystal people shouted in a high, whiny voice.

Jareth arched an eyebrow, struck an amused expression, and grabbed hold of one of the orbs. Instantly, a tiny crystal spear became lodged in his glove, but he shook it off carelessly and folded his arms across his chest.

"What can I do for you people, besides kill you?" he asked, a mocking grin on his face.

"We seek the glorious Princess Majeste," the leader of the Crevits squeaked.

"So do I," Jareth said, extending his arms in a casual manner.

"Where is she?"

"I know?" Jareth asked.

"She was last seen with you."

"Your guards must not have been watching her closely enough."

"The king has given us instructions to bring you back to Crystalla. We have come across the gap to get you."

"You haven't gotten me yet," Jareth said, throwing back his head and laughing.

"Let's go, boys," the lead Crevit shrieked.

The Crevits began to move their swans in a circle around Jareth, who thought that their attempts were rather ridiculous. He wasn't particularly fond of birds, after having been turned into one, and he waved his arms at the swans as they encircled him. They began to move extremely fast, too fast for him to be able to see one at a time, and feathers flew everywhere. Several of the feathers became lodged in Jareth's mouth, and the harder he tried to get them out; the more the feathers flew in. After several seconds of trying, Jareth simply closed his mouth and swallowed the feathers that were stuck there(1).

Four pairs of webbed feet grabbed hold of Jareth, and before he had a chance to react, he was being lifted into the air towards the throne room window.

"Put me down, you filthy poultry!" he shouted, swatting at the birds that carried him out of the palace.

"If they put you down, you will fall," one of the Crevits said. "Not that we would care, of course, but your goblins might."

Jareth scowled and looked beneath him, watching as they passed the homes that encircled his castle. He felt the pockets of his black coat, making certain that the orbs were still there, and once satisfied, he straightened himself back up and waited.

Jareth frowned as the swans approached the bridge that separated the Labyrinth from Crystalla.

"Your people aren't supposed to cross the borders," Jareth said, glancing up at the tiny people atop the swans. "How did you get to the Labyrinth?"

"With great difficulty," one of the Crevits said. "Two of us were lost in the battle."

"And you are going to attempt to get through the border again?"

"We have you with us now. It should make matters simpler," the Crevit squeaked.

"I demand again that you put me down," Jareth snarled. "I will make it impossible for you to get back to Crystalla."

"I don't think so, your Highness."

Jareth grabbed hold of one of the orbs in his pocket and held it up towards the swans that held him. The Crevits atop the swans' backs saw the danger that they were in and promptly began to poke at the orb with their spears. While that was happening, the swans were drawing ever closer to the center of the bridge that separated their land from the Labyrinth.

"I wish…" Jareth started, his eyes amazingly dark, "that these imps were…"

He didn't get any farther. The swans flapped their wings viciously and the orb dropped into the lake of fire and water below. There was a tremendous explosion, and Jareth reached into his pocket to grab another orb. Before his fingers found their hold on it, two of the Crevits clambered off their swans and climbed onto Jareth's shirt. They raced down his arm and grabbed hold of the orb. They lifted it above Jareth's pocket, stabbing his hand with their spears, and dropped it into the lake.

"You pesky, mangy, filthy…" Jareth hissed and then caught sight of someone moving on the ground below. Jareth's eyes were particularly keen, and within seconds, he recognized the person as Hoggle.

"Hoggle!" Jareth shouted, grabbing hold of the last orb. "Take this and use it to save me!"

Jareth dropped the orb and he watched as Hoggle rushed to catch it. The orb landed in the little man's hands, and Jareth looked forward again. The swans were now directly above the center of the bridge. A great wind pushed against them, threatening to throw them off course and into the lake. Jareth hoped that the swans would be blown away and that he would be dropped. With great fortune, he would land on the bridge and would be able to get back to the Labyrinth. His hopes were dashed in a matter of seconds when the swans broke through the boundary lines and the towering crystal steeples of Crystalla's castle came into view. On the way through the boundary lines, a great gust of wind grabbed hold of Jareth's legs and somehow managed to pull off one of his boots. Jareth's eyebrows rose as he watched his boot fall far, far below him, and he snorted. Of all the humiliating, ridiculous happenings!

Jareth muttered something inaudible under his breath and then watched as he was lowered into the courtyard of the great castle. He was quite an awkward sight to the crystal people of the kingdom. They stood in the streets watching Jareth, dressed entirely in black, save for his one white sock, being lowered into the midst of their beautiful light crystal kingdom. He was certainly a dark and dismal creature to behold.

"That's right. Stand there and gawk," Jareth sneered and then glanced at the ground as he was lowered onto it. Immediately, great men dressed in crystals and outstanding headdresses surrounded him, their large spears threatening to behold.

"So there are some intimidating people in Crystalla," Jareth snorted and then turned as a trumpet sounded.

The king of Crystalla, Majeste's father, appeared, and Jareth couldn't suppress a laugh. He keeled over with laughter at the sight of the king, shorter than his knee, approaching him. The king looked fairly similar to Hoggle, but he had orange, short fur all over his body and the most pathetic, pale blue eyes imaginable. His lips were awkwardly shaped as well as his nose and eyebrows.

"You find my appearance…amusing?" King Strast asked, his voice raspy.

"Indeed!" Jareth chuckled, standing up straight and trying to compose himself. "Last I saw you, you were a bit…bigger?"

"Your father, impudent prince, did this to me," King Strast frowned.

"That would be king," Jareth said, opening his arms wide and grinning. "King Jareth of the Goblins. What makes you bring me to your humble abode?" He leaned over to look closer into the king's face, and the king squished up his nose with disgust.

"My daughter," King Strast said. "Where is she?"

"Your people rid me of all my sources. I don't know," Jareth said flippantly. "Perhaps at the bottom of the lake?"

"It was said you were last seen with her on the bridge," King Strast snapped. "I am trying to be reasonable with you."

Jareth wiped a piece of crystal off his shirtsleeve and then said easily, "Why should I share her whereabouts? After all, I don't know where she is right now anyhow."

"I'm warning you…" King Strast growled.

"About what?"

"I don't know where Majeste is, but when I find her, if you lay so much as one finger on her, I'll…"

"Settle yourself, good King Strast," Jareth sighed. "If you simply let me go, I shall find your princess for you."

"I said not a hand on her!" King Strast shouted.

"When have I ever laid a hand on your precious daughter?"

"It was told me she often left at night to see you."

"Did she?" Jareth grinned, stroking his chin.

"You met on the bridge, just as you did when she disappeared."

"We met on the bridge to exchange recipes. I'm very fond of good recipes," Jareth said, his dark eyes flashing at the king.

"Guards!" King Strast snapped. "Bring Jareth to one of the cells. He will stay there until Majeste is found."

"Please, prison cells are so lame," Jareth sighed. "You have nothing better for a Goblin King?"

"You aren't pleased with such a simple punishment?" King Strast asked, a sparkle appearing in his eyes. "You need something mightier for such a powerful king?"

Jareth smiled and didn't answer. He was trying to get on King Strast's nerves just enough to get thrown out of the castle. So far it seemed to be working.

King Strast was much more clever than his appearance would have him seem. He knew Jareth's father's character well enough to understand his son's. Jareth was full of pride, more so than his father had been. The only way to knock any sense into Jareth was to strike something in the Goblin King's heart that was close to home. Attack Jareth's pride and he would be forced, under pain of humiliation, to comply.

"I do have something a bit better for your royalship," King Strast smiled cleverly.

"And that would be?" Jareth asked, glancing at the place where his boot had once been and sneering at his white sock.

King Strast took out an orb. It was different than Jareth's had been, for instead of being perfectly clear, this one had a light blue liquid swirling about inside of it. He held it up to Jareth, who looked at it with interest.

"Look deep inside it, Jareth," King Strast said.

"What for?" Jareth asked suspiciously, folding his arms across his chest.

"So you can have something better than just a prison cell."

"You must think me a fool to look into that," Jareth frowned. "I know the power of those orbs."

"Perhaps they have the power to transport you, just like the ones you used on my daughter," King Strast said, holding the orb up to Jareth and gesturing to his guards.

The guards moved into position behind Jareth, pinning the Goblin King's arms behind him and forcing him to lean forward. Within seconds, the Goblin King was gone, and King Strast was smiling to himself. Jareth was now safely behind bars, and to make matters even better for the king, he was perfectly insane. Humiliation was the key to getting information out of Jareth, and if it took insanity to become humiliated, then so be it.

Jareth found himself in a prison cell made entirely out of crystal, two large guards standing by the cell doors. He gazed at his sock and a remarkable expression formed on the once-powerful king's face. He looked at one of the guards and then laughed.

"You there! Happen you to have seen my boot?"

The guard turned, looked at Jareth, rolled his eyes, and then looked forward again.

Jareth couldn't stop laughing and looking at his sock. It would have been terrible for any of his people to see him then. The insane king even made up a ditty as he sat there, gazing at the walls and at his sock. It was the most ridiculous song every imaginable, all about the importance of his boot and his love for the piece of leather. It went something like this: (2)

"Somewhere in time I lost her, the pride of my young life;

The one who stirred my heart so, the beauty my sock to wife.

But now she's gone; and now the song,

The ballad of the lost boot.

He's all alone and tears fall down when he remembers time,

Of ringing bells, and luscious smells, and the boot that's lost in the brine.

Oh come to me, my lovely one, and let me see the shine,

To ease the pain, yes all the pain, of this white sock of mine.

For I bemoan, and hence the poem,

The ballad of the lost boot.

He's all alone and tears fall down when he remembers time;

Of ringing bells, and luscious smells, and the boot that's lost in the brine."

Somewhere, in the midst of Jareth's insanity, a spark of clear thinking ignited, and Jareth cried out, at the end of his wild song, "Hoggle, save me!" He then closed his eyes and fell over, in a drunken sleep of sorts.

* * *

1 ew.

2 This tune goes something like Take My Breath Away, by Berlin


	4. Hoggle Goes For Help

Hehe...sorry it's been so long guys. I PROMISE I'LL KEEP UP WITH THIS BETTER IN THE FUTURE! Once again, I do not own this story or any of the characters, I am merely posting it.

**As The World Falls Down**

"I could very well keep this to myself. Then, I could be the richest creature in the world and I could have hundreds of goblins bowing down to me, instead of me bowing down to that wretched Jareth."

Hoggle stumbled along, admiring the orb in his hand and pondering over what to do. True, Jareth had demanded that he use it to save the obnoxious king, but Hoggle wasn't sure how to use the orbs and he didn't know how to get help. Besides, he didn't want to save Jareth. That Goblin King had kicked him around more than he cared to remember, and now he had the chance for revenge. All he needed to do was figure out how to use the orb.

A sudden threatening sound filled the air, and Hoggle glanced up at the sky. Clouds were moving rapidly towards the place where he stood, covering the sky in blackness. They were threatening clouds with great streaks of lightning shining forth from them.

"But I want to keep it," Hoggle muttered. "I can take care of the Labyrinth, and then it won't destroy itself."

It was an old myth that if the leaders of the Labyrinth and Crystalla were somehow to leave their appointed worlds, the worlds would deteriorate on themselves. The ruler of Labyrinth was now gone, and the world had seemingly decide to deteriorate rather quickly. Hoggle didn't like the look of the storm that was closing in, and he gazed at the orb again.

"I suppose Jareth would kill me if he somehow managed to get back here without me rescuing him," Hoggle sighed. "I wish I could get help from Sarah. She'd know what to do."

A blinding flash of light filled the air, and instantly, Hoggle disappeared. He screamed as he shot into the sky, going faster and faster until the Labyrinth was entirely invisible. He was shooting towards a great ball of light, and within seconds, he was submerged into the flaming ball.

Hoggle believed himself to be dead, but when he opened his eyes, which he had closed due to immense terror, he found himself in a great room, lying on a large and comfortable bed. The room was painted in light pink, and it looked vaguely familiar. There weren't as many stuffed animals in it as he remembered there being, and there were several boxes all over the room, as though whoever occupied it was moving. Hoggle's eyes came to rest on a woman, her back turned towards him. She had long, dark hair, and she was pinning it up atop her head. She wore a white dress and glistening earrings.

"Sarah!" Hoggle shouted, sitting up on the bed. "Sarah! I need your help!"

The woman gasped and then spun around, her dark eyes landing on Hoggle.

"Hoggle, is that you?" Sarah exclaimed, running to her old friend. "I thought I would never see you again!"

"Here I am!" Hoggle said uncomfortably. "You look different."

"It's been years!" Sarah said happily and then hugged Hoggle. "What brings you here?"

"The Goblin King needs your help."

Sarah frowned and pulled away from Hoggle. "Jareth?" she asked.

"Yes. He was taken away by some crystal king."

"Crystal king?"

Hoggle was about to say more when the bedroom door suddenly slammed open and a boy of twelve years leaped into the room.

"Are you ready to go, Sarah? You take forever on your hair!"

"Toby, go away," Sarah said, rolling her eyes and moving away from Toby.

"Who's that?" Toby asked, bounding over to Hoggle. He poked the little man in the stomach, and Hoggle shouted.

"Keep your fingers to yourself!"

"It talks!" Toby gasped.

"Of course he does. Toby, this is Hoggle."

"Weird name. What are you doing here, Hoggle? You look strange!"

"The Goblin King needs help. Remember what I told you about him?" Sarah asked.

"He's the creep that fell in love with you in one of your dreams, right? Let me at him!" Toby said, throwing punches in the air.

"You didn't tell him much about the king, did you?" Hoggle frowned.

"We have a wedding to attend, Hoggle. Can this wait?"

"You know that traveling to the Labyrinth and back won't take any time," Hoggle said. "At least, it didn't last time."

"Why would I want to help Jareth?" Sarah asked, frowning.

"Yeah, why would she want to help the creep?"

"He is the king of the Labyrinth," Hoggle growled. "You must watch your mouth, young one. Sarah, can you come?"

"What happened?" Sarah sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"It's a long story," Hoggle said.

"Considering it's all a dream, we have all the time in the world," Toby chipped in. "Go ahead, little man."

Hoggle rolled his eyes and then spoke. "For years, Sarah, the Goblin King was in love with the princess of Crystalla. Her name is Majeste. Not long ago, he proposed to her and she refused him. Because of that, he cast her away somewhere. Her people couldn't find her, and so they captured Jareth. Now I'm supposed to be saving him."

"Wait. Jareth has been in love, all this time, with a crystal princess?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

"Why did he cast her away for refusing him?"

"You know the Goblin King almost better than anyone else. Why do you think?" Hoggle asked.

"Why, that stuck up goblin! Was she pretty?"

"She's beautiful. I need to save King Jareth before the Labyrinth destroys itself. Without its leader, it will. It has already started deteriorating. I have to save him so he can return to his world and save it."

"What about the princess?" Toby asked. "Does she need a knight in shining armor? Because, if she does…"

"Can it, Toby. Does the princess love Jareth?" Sarah asked, greatly interested.

"I think so. It's hard to tell. With the way he's been treating her, I would think she doesn't. She's a good-hearted woman, though. I don't know that she would give up easily on the Goblin King."

"Can you take me back now?" Sarah asked.

"And me," Toby added.

"Toby, you can't come. Last time you were there, Jareth nearly turned you into a goblin. You can't come!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Yes, I can!" Toby shouted. "If you don't, I'll tell Mom and Dad!"

"They'll never know I was gone. Going to the Labyrinth and back doesn't take any time at all," Sarah said.

"Why can't I ever go on any adventures with you?" Toby pouted.

"You have. The Goblin King captured you once. One adventure is enough for you."

"We must hurry," Hoggle said nervously. "The Labyrinth is already starting to destroy itself."

Sarah sighed and took hold of the orb that Hoggle was holding out to her. "Last I remembered, these things mean a lot of trouble," she frowned.

"It depends on whose hands they are in. I wish…" Hoggle started and Sarah finished.

"…That I was in the Labyrinth."

There was another flash of light, and instantly, Sarah and Hoggle found themselves at the maze of Confucius, the place where Sarah had first arrived when she had been brought to the Labyrinth some eleven years before.

"That was amazing!" A chipper voice exclaimed, and Sarah and Hoggle turned their heads to see Toby standing in their midst, holding on to a small piece of Sarah's skirt.

"Toby, I said you couldn't come!" Sarah shouted, and Toby shrugged.

"I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions," the boy smiled.

"Argh! Hoggle, how are we going to save everyone?" Sarah shouted.

"I don't know. I hoped you would know what to do."

"Jareth is in Crystalla and Majeste is in the Labyrinth?"

"Yes."

"Hoggle, I will send you with Toby to find the princess. I'll go get Jareth," Sarah said easily.

"Why do you get to save the Goblin King? He sounds cool!" Toby said.

"Because…" Sarah started, but Toby cut her off.

"I know! You're in love with him! You think he's handsome!"

"Do not!" Sarah shouted, aghast.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Sarah and Toby, please!" Hoggle shouted above the noise. "Sir Didymus has offered to assist us. I think he should go with Toby to the princess. I'll go with you, Sarah."

"But I don't want to save any crummy princess!" Toby frowned. "And who's Sir Didymus?"

"She's not crummy!" Hoggle roared. "She's the most beautiful woman in both our worlds and beyond! Be careful what you say! My, my, if King Jareth were to hear you say that," Hoggle panicked, ringing his hands.

"Where is Sir Didymus?" Sarah asked.

"In the maze somewhere. Come, we must find Jareth," Hoggle said, taking hold of one of Sarah's hands.

"But I need to make certain Toby has someone with him!" Sarah declared.

"I can find the knight myself," Toby said. "It's just a maze. I'll find him."

"Sarah, you must wish us into Crystalla. There is no other way to get there," Hoggle said as Toby turned and began to walk away.

"But…" Sarah started and then closed her mouth. If Toby wanted to be a show-off and find Majeste himself, then so be it. "I wish," Sarah said, holding the orb up to her face. "That Hoggle and I were in Crystalla."

Toby watched as Sarah and Hoggle disappeared and then he continued his journey through the maze. He walked for about fifteen minutes before he scratched his head and stood still. "I'm not getting very far," he told himself. He glanced up at the walls that surrounded him and noted the vines that were woven in the bricks. "Ah ha," he smiled and grabbed hold of the vines. Slowly, Toby began to climb up the walls, and within a minute's time, he was seated atop them. "I can find Sir Didymus all by myself, without a problem."

A streak of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, and Toby shuddered. "I'd better find him fast," Toby said and then glanced into the paths that formed Confucius. "Sir Didymus!" he shouted. "Sir Didymus!"

A voice, from directly beneath him, startled him and nearly made him fall off the wall.

"I say!" A chipper voice called. "You called?"

Toby glanced down to see some creature with the looks of a both a squirrel and a fox gazing up at him. He wore the velvety garments of a great nobleman, and he held a sword in one of his claws.

"I say, did you call?"

Toby shook his head and then nodded. "I…I…did."

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?" Toby asked smartly.

"I, young one, am Sir Didymus, escort of Sarah. You don't look like Sarah to me," Sir Didymus squeaked.

"I should hope not," Toby muttered under his breath and then climbed down from the top of the wall. "I'm Toby. I'm here to find the crystal princess."

"Toby…Toby…Sounds familiar. Were you a goblin once?"

"I was not!" Toby snapped. "I'm here to find Majeste. Do you know where she is?"

"Of course," Sir Didymus sniffed, putting his nose up in the air a bit. "Come with me, young sir."

Toby rolled his eyes and began to follow the creature down one of the paths of Confucius. Sir Didymus stopped a few steps later and whistled. A sheepdog appeared out of an underground shaft, and he galloped lopsidedly towards Sir Didymus.

"My noble steed," Sir Didymus explained, pulling himself up onto the dog's back. "I apologize for not having appropriate transportation for you."

"That's okay," Toby said incredulously. What a weird world he was in!

Hoggle and Sarah arrived in Crystalla only seconds after Toby walked off by himself. They found themselves directly next to the bridge that separated Crystalla from the Labyrinth.

"What has happened to the bridge?" Sarah gasped, noticing that the stone half of the bridge was beginning to crumble.

"The Goblin King is no longer in his world," Hoggle explained, frowning as chunks of stone began to fall into the fire beneath the bridge and burn. "The longer he stays away, the worse the bridge becomes. If he stays away for too long, the bridge will disappear entirely. The Labyrinth is already beginning to destroy itself. Look."

Sarah looked across the bridge to the Labyrinth beyond. Above the walls of Confucius she could see dark, menacing clouds with lightning flashing throughout them.

"If the stone bridge of the Labyrinth falls apart, won't the crystal bridge of Crystalla do the same?" Sarah asked worriedly.

"Yes, and if things really get bad, the darkness from the Labyrinth will penetrate the forces of Crystalla and will destroy Crystalla as well. That is why we must return Jareth and Majeste to their worlds. Without their leaders, Crystalla and the Labyrinth will be destroyed, as well as everything and everyone in them."

"The people of Crystalla and the Labyrinth have no way of being with each other, do they?" Sarah gasped.

"Only Majeste and Jareth are able to go on that bridge. Someday, maybe, the two bridges will truly come together and the two worlds will be connected. For now, though, if anyone tries to go on the bridge besides Jareth and Majeste, they will fall into the water and fire below."

"They'll be burned and drowned!" Sarah exclaimed.

"No, I've heard worse things," Hoggle said.

"Like what?"

"I've heard that those who attempt to even step on the bridge are turned into hideous beasts."

"Beasts?"

"Yes, but the goblins told me that, and you can never believe goblins," Hoggle sighed. "Just look at the Goblin King. He sure isn't honest."

"We still need to find him. Where was he taken?" Sarah asked, turning and gazing at the immense world of Crystalla.

"To the castle, I'm sure. That would be the big, looming palace in the far distance."

"What do we have to go through to get there?"

"I don't know," Hoggle shrugged. "I've never been here."

Sarah looked around in desperation and caught sight of a large, glittering hole in the middle of a great rock. "Maybe that leads up to the castle."

Hoggle looked at the hole and shuddered. "I don't know. I'm not fond of tunnels."

"But you live in the Labyrinth! You shouldn't have a problem with darkness and tunnels!" Sarah said.

"This isn't the Labyrinth. What's in there I wonder?"

"Let's look," Sarah said, taking one of his small hands in hers. "We have to find Jareth."

Hoggle was very reluctant, but he let Sarah lead him into the tunnel. The tunnel was one of the most beautiful places Sarah had ever seen. As she walked through it, she gazed at the walls. They were glittering with crystals of all different shapes, colors, and sizes. Hoggle was also in awe of the beauty of the tunnel, and as he and Sarah walked, both of them failed to take notice of the direction they were moving in.

Ten minutes passed before Sarah looked behind them and panicked. All she could see was crystals, all over the place, and so many different tunnels that she immediately became alarmed.

"Hoggle!" Sarah gasped, walking over to one of the walls of crystal. "We can't get out! We're lost!"

"I think it's an illusion," Hoggle said, gazing at all the crystals. "The way out is probably right in front of our faces and we can't see it."

"We've been walking for ten minutes," Sarah said worriedly. "I don't think we can see the way out from here."

Hoggle seemed to consider what she said for a moment. As soon as he was finished, he screamed as loudly as he could, and Sarah joined him.

"Help!"

"Somebody get us out of here!"

"Help! Help!"

Sarah leaned back on one of the walls, breathing heavily. She had read about people becoming lost in caves, but this was by far the worst type of cave to get lost in. All of the walls looked exactly the same. Every single one of them showed hers and Hoggle's reflections, and it dazed her.

"Hoggle, we need to get out of here."

"Maybe Jareth would be willing to help us if we shout to him," Hoggle suggested, and then he began to shout, his voice echoing eerily throughout the tunnels. "King Jareth! Help us! Help us out!"

"I think the only thing we can do is continue moving forward," Sarah sighed and then got off the wall. "Let's keep going the way we were before. Maybe we'll find our way out."

"Which way were we going?" Hoggle asked, turning in circles.

"That way, I think," Sarah said, pointing down one of the tunnels.

"That looks the same as all the other ones," Hoggle said, throwing out his arms in desperation.

"We have to keep moving, Hoggle. I'm sure we'll find some way out."

"I don't think so," Hoggle sighed and then followed Sarah down the tunnel she had indicated.

Sarah panicked as she gazed at the walls as they walked past them. The colors in every wall were beautiful, and she wondered if the crystals in the walls were the ones that Jareth had often shown to her. Perhaps they were magic and they could somehow show her the way out.

Something bright flashed past Sarah's face, and she turned her head to see hundreds of tiny, bright lights moving rapidly towards her.

"Hoggle, what are those?" she asked, grabbing hold of Hoggle's arm.

"Terrors of the caverns!" Hoggle exclaimed and then grabbed Sarah's hand. "Run! Run!"

Sarah had formerly considered Hoggle to be a bit of a coward, but on this occasion, she had to agree with him. She gripped his hand as tightly as she could, and then both of them began to run as fast as they could through the tunnels. All logical thinking disappeared, and they ran, like crazed animals in a thunderstorm. They could even hear the sound of rushing wind as they ran.

Running proved to be useless, for in a matter of seconds, the bright lights had caught up with Sarah and Hoggle and were swirling around them, causing such a great wind that Hoggle and Sarah could only hold on to each other in terror.

The wind seemed to shift a bit, and a sound, very much like wind and very much like a voice, spoke.

"Who are you?"

Sarah clung even tighter to Hoggle, watching as the swirl of colors moved faster and faster. The voice spoke again, this time louder.

"Who are you?"

"Hoggle!" Hoggle shouted. "Hoggle and Sarah! Leave us alone!"

"What are you doing here?" The voice asked again.

Sarah gathered her courage about her and spoke. "We are here to rescue Jareth, King of the Goblins."

The swirl seemed to laugh, and one of the colors, a bright blue, pulled away from the swirl and flew easily to Sarah. The crystal fairy, for indeed, that's what it was, landed gracefully on Sarah's nose. The fairy seemed to be a male with wild blue hair, a tight blue tunic, and a very large grin.

"King of the Goblins, you say?" he asked, his voice sounding very much like a gentle breeze blowing past.

"Yes," Sarah nodded. "We need to save him and the crystal princess so that the Labyrinth and Crystalla can survive."

The other colorful crystal fairies seemed suddenly to whisper amongst themselves, and the blue one, who sat on Sarah's nose, chuckled.

"Jareth is being held prisoner by the king for harming his daughter."

"He would never hurt Princess Majeste," Hoggle frowned, and another fairy immediately came and landed on his lips, clamping them shut.

"He wouldn't, tiny man? He knows all about the war that has been occurring for hundreds of years between the Labyrinth and Crystalla. Misplacing her majesty somewhere would be just like him," the fairy snorted.

"What war?" Sarah asked, and the fairy poked her on the nose with a very small staff that he held in his hand.

"You don't know about the war?" he hissed. "It's only the greatest battle of all time."

"If it was the greatest battle," Hoggle said, pulling the fairy off his mouth, "then I would have known about it."

"So it's a bit eerie of a battle, I suppose," the fairy shrugged. "Ever since King Strast was turned into a puppet, there's been battle between the two worlds. That's why no one else is allowed to cross the bridge aside from Jareth and Majeste."

"How is it they can cross it? Majeste isn't the queen of her land," Sarah frowned.

"No, but there's a greater power that she has," the fairy said. "It allows her to go on the bridge. Her father can't."

"So what started this terrible war that isn't occurring?" Sarah sighed.

"King Strast and Jareth's father, Harin. Goblins are unpleasant creatures, as you well know, and they like to cause trouble. King Strast and Harin got in an argument one day, and it ended with Harin turning King Strast into a puppet, of sorts, and ruining his dignity. Harin wasn't attacked himself, but all of his goblins were. The goblins were once tall, human like creatures, much like Jareth. They were turned into puppets. The bridge became cursed and only the power that Majeste has will allow anyone to go on it that isn't the leader of the Labyrinth or Crystalla."

"What is this power?" Sarah asked, very interested.

"I don't know," the fairy said, shrugging his glowing blue shoulders.

"Well now that your ridiculous story is over, will you take us to Jareth? We can't seem to get out of here," Hoggle said.

"Why should I help you save Jareth?" the fairy frowned. "Not only were the goblins turned into puppets, but the people of Crystalla were turned into crystals. My comrades and I don't want to help the Labyrinth at all. Let it destroy itself. We'll fight off the destruction."

"I want to help both worlds," Sarah persisted. "At least let me talk to King Strast."

The fairy frowned and then flew over to the other fairies. They began to talk amongst themselves, and Hoggle raised his hands in defeat.

"We at least tried," he said.

"They might help us," Sarah said, watching the fairies. "They know that they won't be able to fight off destruction if the Labyrinth is destroyed."

"Or they might let us rot, with all our luck."

"Try and look on the bright side of things, Hoggle."

The blue fairy flew away from the other fairies and landed on Sarah's nose again.

"I'll tell you what," he said, his arms crossed and his wings fluttering. "We'll bring you to the castle but not to Jareth."

"Thank you," Sarah smiled. "That's very helpful."

"Don't thank me until you are there," the fairy warned, leaping easily off Sarah's nose and flying in front of her. "It's not an easy journey."

"Why isn't it?"

"You have to go through a waterfall. There's also a hideous creature of some sorts in these tunnels. We never see him, but we always hear him. He sounds terrible! He must eat hundreds of fairies for breakfast everyday," the blue fairy shuddered. "We'll avoid him at all costs, unless I somehow tire of you and your troll friend." The fairy shot a warning look at Hoggle and then smiled at Sarah. "Are you ready?"

"I guess so," Sarah said, shaken by the thought of a large monster in the tunnels with them.

The fairies moved so easily and so quickly through the tunnels that it was nearly impossible for Sarah and Hoggle to keep up with them. They both scratched their hands and faces as they rushed along.

An hour passed before Sarah suddenly grabbed one of the crystal walls and gasped breathlessly. "I can't go anymore!"

The swirl of fairies stopped moving forward and the blue fairy hovered in front of her.

"You don't need to go any further," he said. "The pounding you have been hearing for the past half hour is the waterfall, not the beating of your heart."

"The waterfall? We have to go under it, right?" Sarah panted.

"Yes."

"Is it a small waterfall?"

"No," the fairy said. "As soon as you and your companion enter the water, my companions and I will leave. We can't go any farther than the waterfall with you. We can't swim, and so we would drown."

"I don't see the waterfall," Hoggle frowned.

"It's beyond the wall you are clinging to. Come," the fairy gestured, flitting away from Sarah. "Only a few minutes more."

The fairy was right. Sarah and Hoggle walked to the end of the wall, turned the corner, and there was the waterfall. It was an amazing source of power and beauty. The water was not only blue, but also all light shades of color. Pink, purple, green, and orange all mixed with the pounds of water that flowed from the enormous falls.

"It's amazing," Sarah whispered, moving away from the wall and towards the water.

"It should be," the fairy said. "These are the quarters of her majesty."

"Her majesty?" Sarah gasped, turning to look at the fairy.

"Majeste," the fairy nodded.

A sudden loud roar rose above the sound of the waterfall, and the blue fairy zoomed into the swirl of other fairies.

"It's the monster!" the fairies shouted, swirling faster than ever.

"Run!"

"Let's go!"

"You are on your own, lady!"

"Wait!" Sarah shouted. "How do I get through the waterfall?"

"You are on your own!" the fairies shouted and then disappeared down one of the tunnels in a flurry of color.

"Mangy, beastly pests!" Hoggle shouted and then gazed at the waterfall again. "What is that unearthly sound?"

The monster roared again, and Sarah stepped boldly onto one of the boulders in the colorful water.

"The sound is coming from near the waterfall," she said, pointing in the appropriate direction. "I want to see what it is."

"Be careful!" Hoggle shouted, gazing cautiously at the water.

"I will be!"

Sarah leaped from one boulder to the next towards the sound. There were several crystal walls on either side of the waterfall, and she moved towards one of the walls on the left. She could see a shadow of the monster through the crystal, and she shuddered at the height of the beast. Wanting to appear brave to Hoggle, however, she slipped behind the wall, whispering one last prayer as she did so.

The small cavern Sarah stepped into was dark and damp, and Sarah groped about, very much wanting a light. She could see the form of the creature and she could hear it moaning.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, stopping behind the creature. "I cannot see you."

The creature cried again, and Sarah, wanting very much to see the creature, cleared her throat and spoke. "Follow me to some light so that I can see you."

The monster didn't answer but clumsily followed Sarah out of the cave and into the light that filled the area around the waterfall. Sarah turned to look at the creature and let out a gasp of surprise.

"Ludo! It's you!"

"Ludo scared," Ludo, Sarah's dear friend from her first adventure, spoke, his fingers in his mouth.

"Oh, don't be scared, Ludo! It is I, Sarah!" Sarah exclaimed happily, wrapping her arms around the furry creature. "Why were you all alone in the cave?"

"Lost," Ludo said simply, squeezing Sarah tightly.

"But how did you get in there to begin with? You could not have crossed the bridge," Sarah said, pulling away from him but still holding his large hand in hers.

"The Goblin King," Ludo said quietly. "Scary."

"Jareth!" Sarah gasped and then shouted. "Jareth did this to you! Why? Why would he do such a thing?"

Ludo didn't answer, and Sarah turned and shouted down the tunnel. "Come on, Hoggle! It's Ludo!" She turned to look at Ludo again, her eyes angry. "Ludo, how do we get through the waterfall? Do you know?"

"Song," Ludo said simply.

"Song? What song?"

Ludo shifted uncomfortably and Sarah sighed. "Why would I need a song to get through a waterfall?"

"Maybe it's like a secret password," Hoggle suggested, coming up behind her. "If Majeste's chambers are behind the waterfall, there would need to be a secret way to get through."

"Majeste's chambers are back there. What kind of song would she sing?" Sarah wondered aloud. "It's been said that she and Jareth had something happening between them. Perhaps it's one of his songs?"

"Why would it be one of his?" Hoggle asked.

"I don't know. It's not like he was a great singer," Sarah shrugged.

"Are you and your brother both trying to get us killed? He can still hear us! He's not daft!" Hoggle sighed.

Sarah, Ludo, and Hoggle walked out of the tunnel to where the waterfalls were. They gazed at the great fixtures of water. All three were frustrated, for they knew of no other way to get out of the tunnels then by way of the waterfall.

"I have no idea," Sarah said presently. She gazed up at the waterfalls and shouted. "Open Sesame!"

"Unlock ye doors!" Hoggle shouted.

"Open up!"

"Open up or I'll run you through!"

Sarah rolled her eyes at Hoggle's last statement and then sat down on one of the crystal rocks by the falls and thought. If what she thought was true and Majeste really did have some feelings for Jareth, then perhaps a phrase of one of his songs would help. It would have to be sung, of course, and Sarah wondered how beautiful the crystal princess' voice was.

After several minutes of thought, Sarah stood up again and turned to the waterfalls. She then tried to sing several lyrics of Jareth's songs that he had sung to her.

"A search of new dreams, a love that will last."

"I'll leave my love between the stars."

"I move the stars for no one."

"Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel."

Ludo and Hoggle gazed at Sarah as though she was crazy. Sarah nearly gave up hope, for the waterfalls didn't open up at all with the lyrics she attempted to sing.

"Ludo, are you sure the princess sang?" Sarah asked in exasperation.

Ludo nodded his head. Sarah sighed, took a deep breath, and thought again. Those past few lyrics had been the most beautiful ones she could think of. Perhaps it wasn't one of Jareth's songs that would open the wall of water, but if Majeste had been in love with him, then it had to be. Sarah thought of one more and hoped desperately that it was the right song.

"A love that will last within your heart. I'll place the moon within your heart."

The waterfalls let out a mighty groan, and Sarah, Ludo, and Hoggle all took several respectful steps away from them. The colors in the waterfall began to swirl viciously together, and within seconds, before the astonished viewers' eyes, all of the water from the falls had formed into two great pillars of swirling water. One stood at the left side of where the falls had been, the other at the right. In the center was a small entranceway, just the right size for Sarah, Ludo, and Hoggle to squeeze through.

"Mushy nonsense," Hoggle snorted as Sarah stepped onto one of the rocks that led to the entranceway.

"Nonsense or not, we must go. Come on, Hoggle and Ludo. We have to find Jareth."

Sarah jumped from one rock to the next until she was standing in the hidden entranceway. Ludo followed clumsily after her while Hoggle went nervously from rock to rock, expecting each and every one of them to explode.

Sarah stepped into the entranceway as Ludo took his place behind her. She turned her head to see how Hoggle was coming along and immediately noticed that the walls of water were beginning to close in.

"Hoggle, come on! The walls are closing!" she shouted, but Hoggle couldn't hear her over the noise of rushing water.

Ludo reached out and grabbed Hoggle, pulling him towards him just as the walls of water closed, sealing off the entranceway. He stood still then, in awe, as he put Hoggle gently on the floor. The chamber that they had stepped into was large and beautiful. Soft colors flooded the great room that was full of plush furniture. There was one large armchair placed neatly next to the wall of water that was pouring down, forming a door. At the far end of the room was a large bed covered in light colored silks. A large wood wardrobe covered with soft curtains stood in a corner of the room, and Sarah was greatly tempted to go over to it, open it, and study its contents. She didn't however, but moved towards a small door in one of the walls.

"Come on," she said to Ludo and Hoggle, who were gawking at the beauty of the room. "I think the palace is this way."

It took several seconds for Ludo and Hoggle to shake themselves and follow her, but they did, and all three of them ended up in a large tunnel, again filled with crystals of varying shapes and colors.

All went well for ten minutes. Then, the loud sound of marching feet became audible.

"Where do we go?" Hoggle worried, trying to hide behind one of the walls and being unsuccessful.

"I don't think there's anywhere we can go!" Sarah panicked, grabbing hold of Ludo.

Large shadows appeared on the crystal walls, and seconds later, five of the guards from the palace appeared. They immediately saw Sarah and her companions.

"Halt!" One of them shouted, raising his spear towards the frightened group.

"We already are halted!" Sarah said, somewhat annoyed. "We are here to release Jareth, King of the Goblins."

All five of the guards began laughing, and Sarah turned bright red.

"Why do you laugh?" she snapped. "This is a king we are talking about, not a clown!"

"Really?" One of the guards chuckled and then shook his head. "I'm afraid you aren't permitted to see _his majesty_."

"What about the king of this castle, then?" Sarah asked, exasperated.

"You might be able to see him. He isn't feeling well, though," one of the guards shrugged. "Come along."

Sarah gestured for Hoggle and Ludo to follow, and then she walked after the lead guard, the other guards moving into formation around her and her comrades.

The guards and their prisoners walked through several crystal tunnels and then arrived near a great, multi-colored crystal door. One of the guards opened it, and Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo were ushered inside. The room they stepped into was large with great crystal staircases and chandeliers. One of the guards left the group, walking through another doorway and disappearing from sight as he closed a door.

"You will stay here," one of the guards said, and Sarah nodded her head.

Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo spent the next several minutes gazing at the intricate light fixtures that flooded the room with light. Sarah could not speak at all but could only wonder, amazed, how beautiful the princess of Crystalla must have been to live in such a place. She pondered deeply over Jareth's true relationship with the woman and felt a slight pang of jealousy in her stomach. Jareth, from what she recalled from her fifteenth year of life, had most certainly not been ugly. He had been tempting, charming, and somewhat handsome.

Sarah shook her head, arousing herself out of her thoughts, and gazed at the simple diamond ring that rested around her finger on her left hand. She had a love of her own now, and she eagerly waited the day when she could go home and be in the arms of her love again.

"Ah hem."

Sarah looked up to one of the staircases to see a crystal guard standing there, his spear held professionally at his side, his face nearly hidden by his immense, strange hat.

"The king will see you now," he said, and the guards around Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo brought them to a set of doors underneath one of the balconies.

"Enter," the lead guard said, opening one of the doors and holding it.

Sarah gulped nervously and then stepped into the room, Hoggle and Ludo behind her. The room was immense, much larger than the previous one had been, and as the door was being closed behind her, Sarah looked to the front of the room to see a great amount of people standing about a large throne. On the throne sat one of the smallest, most pathetic looking men Sarah had ever seen. His skin must have been orange at one point in time, but now it was faded to a light yellow. His eyes were empty of life, and he gazed at Sarah with an expressionless face.

"Hello," Sarah said nervously, stepping towards the throne. "I am Sarah. My friends and I have come to save King Jareth of the Goblins."

"I am King Strast of Crystalla," King Strast snorted. "King Jareth shall remain in the prison until he rots."

"Why?" Sarah frowned.

"He has stolen my child, finalizing a great curse that his father left for him to accomplish. Now our two worlds can perish," King Strast frowned tiredly.

"You are giving up on Crystalla?" Sarah asked, watching as the people standing about the king moved away from him a bit.

"What else can I do? Jareth has hidden my daughter in the deep abscesses of his world. I know not where she is."

"You are the king of Crystalla. As long as you and Jareth are still alive, you can prevent your worlds from falling apart. You have to release Jareth! If you don't, wherever your daughter is, she will perish," Sarah said, folding her arms across her chest. "My brother has been sent to find her and bring her back to you. Perhaps Jareth can be convinced somehow to find Majeste and return her to you."

"You think you can convince him?" King Strast chuckled and then coughed. "The bridge is almost gone, and you cannot cross it anyhow."

"I don't know much about your bridge," Sarah said, "but I am sure the Goblin King can cross it. Please, let me try and convince him. I think I can figure out how to get him back to the Labyrinth and release your daughter."

"It is too late," King Strast sighed. "Nothing can be done now."

"Sire, she can try," one of the crystal people said from his side. "Perhaps she knows Jareth."

"Perhaps he loves her, for he surely does not love my daughter," King Strast growled and then waved to the guards. "Bring Sarah and her two companions to Jareth's cell."

A guard stepped over to Sarah and took her arm. He led her away from the throne and to another doorway. Sarah glanced over her shoulder as she was brought through the doorway, and she called to the king. "Thank you, King Strast!"

"Don't thank me. I don't believe you'll get very far," King Strast sighed. "The worlds are rapidly dying."

Sarah followed her guard rapidly as he led her in and out of different tunnels and finally to a tunnel that was filled with light blue crystals, making it appear almost as though it was formed out of water. Her heart began to race faster and faster as the guard began to slow his pace, finally stopping at a heavy crystal door.

"Why am I so excited to see him?" Sarah wondered to herself as the guard took a key off of a chain around his neck and gestured for another guard, who had been standing at the door, to move aside.

"You can go in," the guard said once the door was opened, a look of utmost pity on his face.

Sarah saw his expression and frowned. "Ludo, Hoggle, come on. Jareth is in there."

Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo stepped into the cell and the door was closed behind them. Sarah immediately caught sight of Jareth standing at one of the cell windows, gazing out, a faraway look on his face. He didn't seem to notice that she was there, and his lips were moving, but no sounds were coming out. Then, quite suddenly, Jareth started to sing, folding his arms across his chest as he did so, an eerie smile forming on his mouth.

"Fall ye worlds and drown, for light no longer shines,

The moon is still, the sun is dark, see ye all the signs.

My thoughts have all gone dim, my mind over the rim,

I can't recognize him, that Goblin King of Labyrinth."

"Jareth?" Sarah asked, an eyebrow arched. "Jareth, we are here to rescue you."

"What's that you say?" Jareth said, turning to gaze at one of the walls. "Your mind has melted too? Ah, a companion!"

The insane goblin king stretched out his arms and attempted, with all his might, to hug the wall. In return for his embrace, he received a scratched cheek and a ripped shirt.

"I say!" Hoggle gasped, gazing in amazement at Jareth. "He's gone daft!"

"It must have been a spell King Strast put on him," Sarah said, staring incredulously at Jareth. "He must have done it so Jareth couldn't escape."

"Well, undo it!" Hoggle shouted. "He's mad! He can't possibly save the Labyrinth now!"

"How can I undo it?" Sarah asked.

"You have the orb in your hand. Use it!" Hoggle said, throwing up his hands in frustration.

Sarah suddenly remembered that she did indeed have the orb in her hand, and she held it up in front of her, watching several colors swirling about in it. "I wish for Jareth, King of the Goblins, to be sane again."

Instantly, Jareth tossed his head back and a light began to shine in his magnificent eyes. He turned his head and caught sight of Sarah standing before him, lowering her hand. A smile of amusement formed on Jareth's face, and he held his arms out in an arrogant manner.

"Sarah, darling, I knew you would come back to me. You couldn't resist me."

He took a step towards Sarah, unmindful of his missing boot and the sock that was on his foot. He slipped and landed, very unceremoniously, on his rear end. He muttered something and then scowled, gazing at his outstretched legs and feeling entirely humiliated.

"Nobody move," he said quite calmly as he looked up at Sarah, blinking, "I've dropped me brain."

"You have to help us bring Majeste back to Crystalla, otherwise Crystalla and the Labyrinth will be destroyed," Sarah said, gazing down at Jareth and stepping closer to him. "I won't help you out of here unless you promise to save the worlds with us."

"Oh, but Sarah," Jareth said, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes as he caught sight of the orb and then looked up at Sarah, "you must save me."

"Why?" Sarah snapped. "Why should I save you for any reason other than to find Majeste and save the worlds?"

"Because," Jareth said simply, gazing up at her with quite the puppy dog look in his intense eyes, "you love me."

"Why on earth would I love you? You are selfish and a complete pig!"

Sarah expected some smart, logical explanation from Jareth, but she didn't know the thoughts that were formulating in the Goblin King's mind, and thus she didn't understand his answer when he finally came up with one. Jareth had come up with a wonderfully wicked idea as he was gazing at Sarah from his position on the floor. She had the last crystal orb, and he had every intent of using it to his advantage. True, he had lost contact with Majeste over the past few days, or however long it had been, but he would still be able to torment her, to make her want him.

"I wish," Jareth whispered, watching the orb becoming brighter in Sarah's hand as he spoke.

"You wish what?" Sarah snapped. "Answer my question!"

"That Majeste can see all the most delicious moments that shall be occurring in the near future with darling Sarah."

"What?" Sarah asked, entirely confused.

"Nothing," Jareth said, smiling up at her innocently. "What did you ask me?"

"How on earth could I possibly love you, but you don't have to answer that," Sarah frowned.

"Oh, but I do," Jareth said cleverly. "You love me because I like to sing and dance."

"You still are insane!" Sarah gasped, watching as Jareth stood up slowly, still slightly taller than her.

"No, I like to sing and dance," Jareth grinned, and then began to sing again, astounding Sarah beyond imagination.

"_I want to sing and dance, I want to sing and dance,_

_I want to be a pirate in the Pirates of Penzance._

_Wear me silver buckle slippers and my tight shiny pants,_

_I want to sing and dance_." (1)

"Now I'm scared," Sarah said, beginning to move back towards Hoggle and Ludo who were already cowering in the corner of the cell.

"Sarah, Sarah," Jareth said, his face serious again and his tone rich and alluring. "How long it's been since I saw you. You've grown to be quite the woman."

Sarah gazed up at his face, still entirely confused. "What does that have to do with saving worlds?" she asked.

"Maybe it is like one of your many fantasy stories," Jareth said, sounding exactly the way Sarah remembered him sounding, serious and dangerous. He stepped closer to her and began to sneak his arms around her in much the same way a snake would wrap itself around its prey before squeezing the life out of it. "You know, as in Snow White or Sleeping Beauty?"

"What are you getting at?" Sarah asked, finding that, once again, as in the eerie masquerade ball of long ago, Jareth was weaving his entrancing magic about her in a way that she was nearly helpless to resist. It would take all of her will power to resist him, for now she was older and had tasted romance. He also didn't seem so terribly old to her, for in truth, concerning physical appearance, he was only about ten years older than she was.

"How were all the curses ended?" Jareth asked, and Sarah let out a gasp as his hands contacted her back, pulling her closer to him.

"You tell me," Sarah frowned, again becoming aware of the ring on her finger. "From what I recall, they all had something to do with a prince finding his princess, or perhaps, a _king_ finding his princess. You have no power over me, Jareth. Move away."

"Oh, that pitiful line again," Jareth said, moving his face so that it was only inches away from hers. "You'll have to prove it this time. All of those fantasy tales ended with a kiss, my dear, a kiss that broke the curse and made all the kingdoms happy and alive again."

"I'm not fifteen anymore, Jareth. You can't move about me as if I'm powerless," Sarah frowned. "Besides," she said, smiling wickedly at him, "I don't think my fiancé would appreciate your attitude at all." She reached behind her and unwrapped his arms from her. Her ring brushed against his glove, and Jareth pulled his hand back.

"Such a pity," Jareth snarled, shaking his hand and then placing it at his side again. "You'll be married and you'll be more trapped than I can ever make you."

"So you think," Sarah said, pleased that she had avoided downfall and had irritated the Goblin King. "Are you going to help us save Crystalla and the Labyrinth or not?"

"I think not," Jareth said easily, moving over to the window again. "From here, it appears that the bridge is still in one piece, and I rather like the idea of Majeste being forced to love me."

"You do know where she is!" Sarah gasped and then grabbed hold of Jareth's arm. "Tell us where she is!"

Jareth shook his arm, making Sarah let go of him. "I think not," he said simply. "Go find her on your own."

"We aren't leaving without you. We came to get help," Sarah frowned.

"Really? Hedge, I thought you brought her to save me," Jareth said, turning to Hoggle.

"It's Hoggle, and I did bring her to save you."

"But she won't. That doesn't sound very good for you, Hoggle," Jareth said, his eyes darkening.

"I've heard it said, your majesty, that you can walk through walls. You must save your kingdom, and I know you want to save the princess," Hoggle said boldly, but he shrunk back a second later when Jareth raised a hand in his direction.

"I will not rescue her until I believe that the time is appropriate! She has many lessons to learn! I can easily leave all of you here and go back to my castle."

"No, you can't," Sarah said. "You can't get back to the Labyrinth without either wishing your way there or walking across the bridge. The bridge is about to collapse. As for the wishing…" She turned and placed the crystal orb in one of Hoggle's pockets. "Hoggle, guard this carefully," she said. "We don't want anyone's prying fingers to get it. Jareth, we aren't leaving until you do."

"So be it," Jareth nodded and then sat back down on the floor. "Make yourselves comfortable. You are welcome to come sit by me, Sarah. It gets a bit cold when night comes."

"I'll stay with Ludo and Hoggle, thank you. I am sure Ludo can keep me quite warm," Sarah said curtly and then sat down in the opposite corner of the room.

_Mangy, selfish Goblin King, _she thought to herself as she contemplated the fate of Crystalla and the Labyrinth. _Doesn't care about anyone but himself. I do hope Toby and Sir Didymus are close to finding Majeste. Maybe she'll have enough sense to somehow repair the bridge and stop the destruction._

* * *

_(1) - The Gay Pirate Song (c) Ray Stevens _


	5. The Winds of Time

Ack, bad Icho, bad Icho! looks around but can't find a dresser to bang head against sorry guys. here it is.

**As The World Falls Down**

Toby had had more than his fill of Sir Didymus. The little fox wouldn't stop talking, and he made certain to point out every little detail in the scenery. He wasn't the best guide, either. After having walked for over an hour through Confucius, the dog, Sir Didymus, and Toby had all fallen through a hole in the ground into a place that Sir Didymus simply called "Slime." That was where they were now.

"You seem to have very creative names for the land," Toby scowled as he swam through the lake they had landed in. It wasn't a simple body of water to swim in. This lake was formed out of slime, moss, and leeches. There was a little bit of water in the mixture, but most of it was green, mushy material that smelled very much like moldy socks. Even Sir Didymus' noble steed seemed to be having difficulty.

"King Jareth's father named the land," Sir Didymus squeaked. "Over there, Master Toby, is land. Swim to it."

"And why wouldn't I?" Toby snorted and rolled his eyes. "How far is the princess from here?"

"Not very far."

"That's the best news I've heard in hours."

"We have to go all the way through Slime and then we will be there."

"Why is the land so disgusting and confusing?" Toby gasped as slime filled his mouth. He grabbed hold of the land and then began to pull himself up, the lake sucking at his clothes as he grasped the muddy earth.

"Goblins get bored very easily. Up, my noble steed, up!" Sir Didymus encouraged as the dog's front paws touched the ground. "Master Toby, can you give us a bit of assistance?"

Toby finished pulling himself out of the lake and then wrapped his hands around the dog's belly. He then lifted him and Sir Didymus out of the mush and placed them gently on the ground. Once that was accomplished, he lay down on the mud, trying to ignore the smells of moldy socks and muddy soil. "I think I got more than I bargained for when I grabbed Sarah's dress," he yawned, closing his eyes. A great tremor in the earth sent him back to his feet in a matter of seconds, and he looked about him, watching as several of the trees around him, wrapped in green and purple slime, fell to the ground.

"No time to rest!" Sir Didymus shouted, holding his tiny sword up in the air. "We must find the princess!"

"If she's a princess of a magical land, can't she save herself? Doesn't she have some type of magical powers?" Toby sighed.

"She only has one magical power and that enables her to get onto the bridge," Sir Didymus said, riding the dog next to Toby.

"Why does she need to be on the bridge? How is that power useful?"

"With that power, whatever it happens to be, she killed King Jareth's predecessor."

"Wow! She killed someone! What's a predecessor?"

"Do they not have schools where you come from?" Sir Didymus asked as the dog jumped over a fallen tree.

"Of course they do," Toby frowned, climbing over the log.

"A predecessor, young one, is someone who comes before."

"So she killed the past king?" Toby asked.

"King Jareth's father, aye. He was an evil, ugly goblin."

"How did he die?" Toby asked, all ears.

"It is said that he choked and then keeled over."

"Where was he buried?"

"He wasn't. He exploded," Sir Didymus said, his nose crinkling at the thought.

"Cool!" Toby exclaimed. "I wish I could have seen that! Why didn't King Jareth kill the princess?"

"I don't know. No one knows," Sir Didymus said.

"How do you know how the Goblin King died, then?"

"The people of the Labyrinth felt it, including me."

"Eeww! Millions of tiny pieces of a person must feel disgusting! Man, I wish I could have been here!"

"Are all human boys so filthy?"

"Even you have to admit, Sir Didymus, that the feeling must have been interesting," Toby grinned, pushing away a large branch.

"We didn't feel pieces of disintegrated king, Master Toby. We felt…free…" Sir Didymus said, putting his nose up in the air with pride. "The Labyrinth became a free land."

"And then King Jareth took the throne."

"He allows his people to be free. He certainly is demanding at times, but he isn't often cruel."

"Then why," Toby asked, frustrated, "did he take the princess away from her land? Was it revenge for the death of his father? Seems to me he should have just killed her. Then, maybe, both worlds wouldn't be falling apart."

"He would never kill the princess!" Sir Didymus shouted angrily. "It is not our business to question the Goblin King! We simply must find Princess Majeste. It is not for us to worry about the ways of King Jareth! Look past those trees. That is the land that holds Princess Majeste."

Toby parted a few more branches and then found himself standing outside of Slime. He was standing atop a great cliff, frightening gusts of wind swirling about him, threatening to throw him off the cliff.

"Do you see her ladyship?" Sir Didymus shouted above the wind, bringing his dog to a stop next to Toby.

Toby put a hand above his eyes and looked out across the barren wastelands that stretched out as far as the eye could see. There, thousands of feet below him, was a woman, walking through the wind, her long hair wind blown and knotted.

"There she is!" Sir Didymus declared, pointing his sword at the woman. "The great Princess Majeste!"

"What is she doing down there?" Toby asked.

"Trying to find her way out. This place is more frightful than all the others combined," Sir Didymus said. "If you have no one to talk to, you quickly become lost."

"Lost? Where? This is an open place! How can you get lost?"

"In the winds, Master Toby. The winds carry dreams of the past and very rarely of the present and future. Because the princess was sent here by King Jareth, he will have seen to it that the winds torture her."

"Torture her! But I don't understand! How?" Toby asked, watching the princess walking away from them.

"Because Jareth is king over all the Labyrinth, he has the power to command the winds," Sir Didymus explained. "He will have seen to it that they show her things of her past that will hurt her."

"I wouldn't wish something like that on anyone," Toby shuddered, thinking of his own nightmares. "We have to get her out of there quickly!"

"Aye. It will take us several hours to get to where she is, for we must find a way down."

"Will the winds show us dreams and things from the past also?" Toby asked.

"They torment only those that they are commanded to," Sir Didymus said, riding his dog towards a path that seemed to lead down the cliff. "They also don't work nearly as well on groups of people as they do individuals. Her ladyship is alone. You will be with me."

"What a great comfort," Toby whispered to himself and then turned and followed Sir Didymus, beginning to walk down a long path that led to the wastelands beneath the cliffs.

Majeste had found her way into the Winds of Time an hour ago. She had heard of the dangers of the place but nothing had yet happened, no visions of the past or of her dreams had appeared before her. She wandered about uncertainly, moving towards the mountains in the far distance. From there, she believed, she would be able to see the whole Labyrinth and find her way back to the bridge. Jareth had really overdone it this time, she determined, and as his name came into her mind, the winds began to change. Majeste didn't notice the wind beginning to move faster as she walked, and before she could quite understand what had happened, great gusts of the wind surrounded her and visions of her past began to shine before her, almost as though they were actually real.

Majeste became engulfed in the first vision, as she would with every vision, and she could hear and feel everything that the vision showed, just like she was there again, years ago.

_Majeste was a little girl again, full of laughter and joy. She saw her mother shriek and laugh as Majeste's father (in his human form) surprised her with flowers. As she watched her parents' loving smiles, she knew that this is how it was meant to be._

The first vision faded, and Majeste shook her head. "If this is some form of torture," she whispered to herself, "then I think I should be free of care. Why, though, would the winds show me my parents?" Another thought passed through her mind, for the winds were also able to control some thoughts, depending on their severity, and another dream of the past appeared, again involving both her parents. The wind swirled mysteriously about Majeste, and she was suddenly transported into a different world, a world that was real to her many, many years ago.

_Majeste found herself standing in the great crystal ballroom of the palace of Crystalla. She could hear people speaking all around her, and before her, seated several yards away, were her father and mother. Pain filled Majeste's heart as the vision unfolded so realistically before her. She remembered this night, long ago. In a matter of seconds, Jareth and his father, the terror of the Labyrinth, Harin, would appear in the entranceway. Ah, there they were. The dream suddenly became reality, and Majeste found herself in the arms of a crystal lord, dancing about joyfully, catching sight of Harin but continuing to dance._

_Harin was terrifying, and the king and queen of Crystalla stood up abruptly, watching as Harin stood before them. Jareth was far behind him, invisible still to most of the dancers. Harin's hair was wild, as Jareth's was at the time of this vision, but unlike his son, he had dark brown hair with gold and red intermingled in the long strands. His eyes were darker, darker than Jareth's ever could be, and his teeth were the most pointed, terrifying part of him. He walked over to the king, or stalked, more like it, and then stood before him._

"_Strast, I have come, uninvited, for my reward."_

"_Your reward?" King Strast growled, waving for his wife to leave the area._

"_Yes. You know how the Goblin King of centuries ago and your descendants formed the bridge that crosses the abyss. Was the Goblin King not promised anything of his asking?"_

"_He asked for the firstborn child of the king of Crystalla," King Strast frowned._

"_Was he given the child?"_

"_What do you want, Harin?"_

"_I hear you have a daughter," Harin smiled, turning to look at Majeste, who was whirling gracefully in her dancer's grasp._

"_I will never let you have Majeste!" King Strast growled._

"_Then I shall set a curse upon you."_

"_Let me take my daughter's place."_

"_Now why," Harin asked, stalking closer to the king, "would I want an old man when I can have an angel?"_

"_You want her for your son, no doubt."_

"_My son? Ha!" Harin laughed, throwing his head back and sounding entirely evil. "I think your daughter would make a lovely Goblin Queen for myself."_

"_Get out!" King Strast shouted, pointing to the doors of the ballroom._

"_Let the curse be on you, then," Harin sneered, and immediately, the king of Crystalla's appearance began to change._

_Majeste did not notice as her father was changed from a noble king into a weakly puppet. She had seen Harin enter the room and had shuddered, for she knew he was a goblin, and she had been warned to avoid their kind at all cost._

"_Look at the king!" her dancer exclaimed, and Majeste turned. Fear pricked her heart as she saw her father, as a puppet, standing before the wicked king of the Labyrinth._

"_Father!" Majeste shouted, beginning to rush towards him._

"_Majeste, stay away!" King Strast shouted, his voice squeaky. "Harin, your goblins shall pay for this!"_

"_I can still take away the curse," Harin sneered, grabbing hold of Majeste's arm and pulling her towards him._

"_Father!" Majeste gasped._

"_Let her go! You have taken me instead of her! You have to respect your own curses!"_

_Harin sneered again and cast Majeste away from him, his eyebrows narrowed. "So be it! There will always be war between Crystalla and the Labyrinth, and you have brought it upon yourself!"_

_Majeste backed away from Harin, shaking violently. She didn't see where she was going, and seconds later, her back pushed against something soft and warm. She spun about violently, tears dazzling in her eyes, and caught sight of the most handsome man she had ever seen standing where she had been. She was unable to speak, but she traced the lining of his ruffled shirt with her eyes and then looked up into his face. His eyes were piercing, his brilliant blonde hair braided in various places, covering his ears slightly. He had a small smile on his face, and Majeste suddenly noticed that her face was terribly close to his._

"_I…I am sorry…" She began, but he placed a finger on her lips and shook his head. He then took her hands in his and they began to dance. Majeste forgot everything except for her handsome dancer, and the real Majeste, who was seeing this odd vision, could feel the emotions once again that had surged through her. She could feel Jareth's gloved hands in hers, she could hear the beating of her heart, and she could feel her silky dress swirling about her._

"_Oh, the irony of it all," Harin smiled, rubbing his hands together. "You'll never be free of the goblins, Strast."_

"_Don't let him harm my daughter! Keep him away from her!" King Strast gasped, watching as Jareth wove his magic spell around Majeste, wrapping her in its warmth and tranquility._

"_No. You didn't heed to the curse of so long ago. Now, your daughter shall pay. He'll bring her to me, and then, there will be nothing that you, a cursed puppet, can do," Harin smiled and then stepped away from King Strast. "Farewell, Crystal King." He suddenly disappeared, his evil laugh echoing throughout the throne room._

_Harin's laugh somehow shook Majeste out of her emotions, and she looked up at Jareth's face again, studying his eyes carefully. "Who are you?" she asked timidly. "I've never seen you before."_

"_Jareth," Jareth smiled, and immediately, Majeste noticed his pointed teeth._

"_You're a goblin!" she gasped, pulling away from him._

_Jareth took hold of her hand suddenly and raised it to his lips. The feeling of his lips on her smooth, young skin sent a shiver through Majeste, a shiver that even now, as she watched the vision, she could feel._

"_Please," she whispered. "Leave me. You have no good intentions for me."_

"_You've entranced me," he said quietly, his voice soft and captivating. "I can't leave you for long."_

_Majeste pulled away from him, and as her hand slipped out of his, the vision faded, shrouding Majeste in darkness, for the sun was beginning to set over the Winds of Time and a thick fog was covering the valley._

Majeste breathed heavily and shook herself, gazing about at the wind as she did so. The dreams, she knew, were beginning to get worse, for Jareth's father terrorized her, even if he was but a shadow of the past. "This place is enchanted," she whispered, a new shiver, one of fear, flowing through her. "I must get out! I must!"

The dreams had only just begun, however, and there was no way that they were going to stop now. Jareth had demanded that the winds continue to show Majeste her dreams of the past, and the winds were obeying their king.

_The winds shifted again, transforming the scenery of barren mountains into an ill-lit room. Majeste saw herself lying on a soft chair, her face hidden in her shoulder, her long hair covering her face. She felt pain, as she saw this scene, and immediately knew what the scene was. "Mother," she gulped, tears coming to her eyes as she again became engulfed, again became a part of the dream. She could feel herself on the soft chair, could feel the crusty tear stains on her face and the emptiness of her stomach._

_The Majeste in the dream had been in deep mourning for her mother, who had died weeks before. She could no longer feel hunger, for her days of mourning had led her to starve herself. She could not sleep without tossing restlessly and nightmares, and her waking moments were ones filled with delusions and fear._

_Due to the delusions and pain, Majeste did not see Jareth entering her secret chambers, stepping easily through the waterfall, not a wet spot on him. He was even more magnificent in the dark lighting, for his good physical features glowed in the darkness. He saw Majeste lying listlessly on the chair, and he walked quietly over to her. Even in the wakes of death and in the gravest of pain, Majeste was lovely to behold, and he stopped, somewhat hesitantly, before he was able to touch her. He couldn't see her face, and he took a step closer and gently pushed some of the damp strands of rich brown away from her sweating cheeks and forehead. Unable to contain himself, he bent over her delirious form and moved his mouth to her ear._

"_Again we meet, princess. I fear you aren't in good health as I had hoped you would be."_

_Even in the deepness of her agony, Majeste heard his voice, and she turned her head slightly, her cheek brushing against Jareth's as she opened her eyes halfway. "You," she whispered weakly. "How did you get here? You can't really be here. It's imposs…" She trailed off and her head fell to the side again, her face twisted in pain._

_A feeling of heartache flowed through the Goblin Prince as he beheld the beautiful girl near death. Without another word, he reached down and gently picked her up in his arms, her weightlessness startling him._

"_Mother!" Majeste cried out in her drowsiness, not opening her eyes as Jareth carried her carefully in his arms towards the waterfall._

_Three steps later, both Jareth and Majeste were through the waterfall, and in only a few short minutes more, Jareth stepped onto the bridge that connected Crystalla to the Labyrinth, Majeste listless in his arms. Majeste suddenly opened her eyes, and upon seeing that he was about to step onto the bridge, she panicked._

"_Don't put me down!" she cried, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "I shall die! I cannot stand on the bridge!"_

"_Shh…" Jareth said calmly, and then stepped onto the bridge. "I have you. You are safe."_

"_You are a goblin," Majeste murmured, closing her eyes again. "How can I be safe?"_

"_Stay with me!" Jareth spoke, moving her head onto his shoulder. "Only a few more seconds, and you will be safe."_

"_I don't know where I am," Majeste cried, tears streaming down her face. "My mother is gone!"_

"_I know, Majeste. I know," Jareth said, and then knelt down on the bridge, Majeste still held affectionately in his arms. "I have a gift for you."_

"_I'm not to be with goblins," Majeste said, moving her head about, fading in and out of unconsciousness._

_Jareth pulled a peach out of the air and held it in front of Majeste's face. The sweet smell of the fruit filled Majeste's breathing, and she opened her eyes tiredly. She looked at the peach and then up into Jareth's face. "Why?" she asked. "Why do you do this for me?"_

"_You will eat this and then forget that I was with you," Jareth whispered, magically cutting the peach into slices and holding one of the pieces in front of Majeste. "Open your mouth, my princess."_

_Majeste, too drowsy to think clearly, opened her mouth, and instantly, Jareth placed the slice on her tongue. She barely chewed it, for her muscles were too weak, but she did swallow it, and she gazed up at Jareth again, a faint glow in her eyes._

_Jareth saw to it that Majeste ate the whole fruit. Once the last piece had been finished, Majeste's eyes fluttered shut and she elapsed into a peaceful, sweet sleep. Color came into her pale cheeks, and Jareth, knowing that she wouldn't remember who it was that had helped her, put his cheek against hers and held her in his arms for a few more blissful minutes before he picked her up and carried her away from the bridge and back through the waterfall._

_Majeste's bed had been untouched for many weeks, and Jareth carried Majeste over to it. He pulled the covers back for her, still holding her, and then gently placed her on the bed, her long hair folding beautifully around her face as her head was placed on her pillow. A small smile played about Majeste's lips as she slept peacefully, never knowing that she was being cared for and that her blankets were being pulled, ever so carefully, over her weak body._

_Once Majeste was comfortable and her blankets were covering her, Jareth stepped back from her and gazed at her face, a pleasant warmth flowing through him as he realized that he had indeed saved Majeste's life as he had hoped to._

"_I leave you," he said, stepping over to her one last time and kissing her gently on the forehead. "Heal well and dream peacefully." He then left Majeste to herself and walked back through the waterfall, once again returning to the Labyrinth._

Majeste no longer knew that she was in the Winds of Time. She no longer understood that she was walking in a valley towards great distant mountains. She had felt Jareth's arms cradling her broken body. She had experienced the pain of her mother's death. The dreams were becoming too real, they were moving too quickly, and there was no way that Majeste could escape them. As far as she was concerned, she no longer existed in a real world. The only world she knew was that of her dreams and memories coming to haunt her.

_Majeste looked around trying to decide where she was. In the distance she saw him. Jareth stood waiting for her on the bridge! She looked around again and she saw her home behind her, her maid and guards waiting by the bridge. A smile appeared on her face as she uncertainly stepped onto the bridge of stone and crystal. _

"_Majeste! I feared you would not come!"_

"_Why Jareth, I have never not come to meet you. What a thing to say."_

_Jareth smiled and murmured her name as he reached to encircle her in his arms. Majeste sighed and began to sink into his arms. _

_Suddenly, Jareth laughed very cruelly and she looked up, wondering. His eyes were no longer gentle and loving. A hard glint had taken its place and she was filled with fear. His taunting words filled her ears and mind as she fell, faster and faster._

"_I care about you. Come with me and be my queen. You can have everything you want." His taunting laugh cut her heart and she wept with sorrow and fear, her fall still unchecked._

Majeste began to sob as the feeling of falling and spinning overcame her helpless body, unable to stop the dreams. This one had turned evil quickly, and she feared that the rest of the dreams would be the same way. She had one last sweet vision before the evil ones corrupted the good memories.

_Rain poured down on Majeste, drenching her hair and soaking through her light purple dress. She held her skirt up as she ran, exhilarated, through the storm, water splashing up against her legs as she raced through puddles. She laughed as a few stray beams of sunlight shone through the rain, lighting up her face for just a few seconds before they disappeared again behind the dark clouds. She twirled, her mouth open to the sky and her eyes closed against the welcome wetness. She then continued her run, adding several twirls and dances before she arrived at the bridge. _

_The crystal and stone of the bridge were shining brilliantly in the rain as Majeste stepped onto the bridge and then walked, ever so gracefully, to the center where the worlds of Crystalla and the Labyrinth met. The dewdrops were shining in her hair, but she took no notice of her appearance, for the appearance of another before her took all of her attention and took her breath away._

_Jareth stood on his half of the bridge, waiting for her, his face glowing. He had seen her the whole way to the bridge and could only smile at the beauty of the dancing, radiant woman that Majeste had become._

"_The dancing stops?" he asked, the raindrops making his dark blue suit sparkle in the rain and his hair glitter magnificently._

"_Twould be childish of me to continue in your presence, my king," Majeste curtseyed gracefully._

"_And if the king commands you dance?"_

"_I should do as he asks."_

"_Very well then. I command you dance," Jareth said, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth._

_Majeste laughed and then began to spin around. Before she could finish her twirl, Jareth had caught her in his arms._

"_I cannot dance when I am caught," Majeste smiled, her hands finding their way into Jareth's._

"_I resent that."_

_Jareth then wrapped one hand around her waist and the other hand remained in hers. They began to dance, gracefully and in perfect harmony on the bridge, neither of them missing a step, neither of them able to look away from each other._

"_How beautiful you look," Jareth said, pulling Majeste closer to him and resting his cheek on hers._

"_I wish always to be beautiful to my king."_

"_If your father were to hear you say those words…"_

"_He knows, Jareth. He understands that he cannot stop what has happened. You aren't your father."_

_Jareth opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, unable to speak. Majeste smiled and then rested her head on his shirt. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed being in his arms. She felt extremely safe, extremely peaceful. She didn't open her eyes when Jareth stopped dancing and put both his arms around her, holding her securely. He lowered his mouth to her ear and began to sing a song full of beauty and love to her. Majeste could only stand and listen, her heart beating rapidly as she did so._

_When Jareth finished his song, Majeste lifted her head and looked into his face, a sad smile on her face. "I fear I have no song to sing for my king."_

"_Simply say my name again and I shall be more content than any song could ever make me."_

_Majeste gazed into his eyes, noticing the closeness of her face to his and the intensity in his piercing eyes. "One simple word," she said quietly, "can be so difficult to say."_

"_Indeed," Jareth said, running his fingertips down her cheek._

"_I love you, Jareth."_

"_It was simpler to say it that way?" he smiled, and then moved his lips to the corner of her mouth._

_Majeste could no longer speak, for she knew no words could fill in the comfortable silence that lingered as Jareth prepared to kiss her for the first time._

_A flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the sky, and Majeste disappeared, another girl taking her place. Majeste found herself standing behind the bridge watching as Jareth held another and the scene began to change. The rain turned into bright lights, the bridge into a ballroom, and the clothes into those of a masquerade ball._

"_No!" Majeste cried out, watching as Sarah and Jareth danced._

_The winds began to change too quickly for Majeste to keep up with them. There was Jareth dancing with Sarah, and the next second, he was kissing her, holding her close to him, his eyes open and glaring at Majeste. That scene changed to one of his father, grabbing Majeste's arms, dragging her across the bridge to the Labyrinth, her father crying out to her in fear. The last scene was one of her father, falling onto his hands and knees, reaching out to Majeste, crying her name over and over again._

A violent shudder rushed through Majeste as the dreams flooded about her in a terrifying swirl of images. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to blot out everything, and she tried desperately to focus her mind on only one thing.

"The only thing," she gasped, tears streaming down her cheeks, "to stop this is my power. Jareth, come to me! Let me see nothing else!"

Majeste's thoughts somehow seemed to war against the winds, and her head began to hurt from the pain of fighting the torment. She still felt as though she was falling and spinning, but she had now, in her mind, an image of the younger Jareth, gentle and compassionate, and she refused to let that image go. The wind roared in her ears, and quietly, the princess of Crystalla began to sing, walking through the winds as she did so, only occasionally opening her eyes.

"Your smile lit up the sun, your coldness stilled the moon,

Your love could light the darkness that came with any noon.

And now you've trapped me, locked me senseless in a state divine,

And I wish I could, if only you would, free this heart of mine.

A land of darkness, a realm of steel,

A world to fool me and convince me love's not real.

And yet I believe, somehow I've touched you,

Your cold heart turned with love so true,

And I want you.

What have I done to trap myself, to lock into your plan,

Of selfishness and bitter hate, captivity in your land?

For now I am lost in memories of a distant time,

And only you can ease the pain and mend this heart of mine."

Majeste's voice was beautiful, and for a few moments her words seemed to still the dizziness and pain that flowed inside of her. As soon as she finished singing, however, the good thoughts she had tried to fill her mind with disappeared, and in its place came another vision, reminding her of her cruel situation. This one was of her father, lying still on the floor, moaning and in great pain.

"Father!" Majeste screamed, the visions suddenly exploding in a flurry of blinding light. She stopped falling and spinning and dropped onto her hands and knees on the ground, gasping and sobbing. "Stop this!" she screamed, cutting her hands on the ground and ripping her skirt against a large boulder. "Jareth! Stop this! Please, I beg you! Stop!" She choked on her tears and then, unable to bear it any longer, she fainted.

The faint was an act of mercy, for Majeste could no longer hear or feel anything. She didn't see Toby running to her and she didn't hear the happy barking of Sir Didymus' dog. Sir Didymus himself was crying out to her, hoping that somehow he could be the noble knight in shining armor that would rescue her from the miserable world of dreams.

"My lady! My lady!" Sir Didymus squeaked. "Awaken from your nightmares! We are here to rescue you!"

"She has fainted," Toby said, kneeling next to Majeste. "What should we do?"

"Are you as weakly as you look?"

"I don't know if I can carry her. At least, I can't carry her up the mountains," Toby said, frowning at Sir Didymus' opinion of him.

"Perhaps she won't be asleep for long," Sir Didymus sighed and then dismounted his steed. "She is as beautiful as I've heard her to be."

Toby looked at the princess and had to admit that he agreed with Sir Didymus. Majeste was everything he had always thought a princess to look like, aside from her numerous scratches and ripped dress.

"Are you sure she killed King Jareth's father?" Toby found himself asking.

"Of course she did," Sir Didymus harrumphed.

"She doesn't look like someone who would do that."

"That's because her eyes are closed," Sir Didymus reasoned. "Maybe her eyes did it and they are frightening to behold."

"I'd like to know why King Jareth didn't kill her."

Sir Didymus laughed and shook his head. "No self-respecting warrior would kill a woman. I should know."

"You would," Toby thought to himself and rolled his eyes. "What should we do while we wait?"

"Sit patiently. Were you never taught patience?"

"She could be asleep for hours. What is your dog's name?" Toby asked.

"My dog? What dog?" Sir Didymus asked, looking around.

"What is that thing you've been riding?" Toby snapped.

"My noble steed, and his name is Ambroscious."

"Can I pet him?"

"I suppose so, although, after calling him a dog, he may not want you to," Sir Didymus frowned.

Toby spent the next ten minutes teaching Ambroscious, and the dog seemed very much to enjoy it. Sir Didymus, however, didn't, for when he swung up into his saddle a few minutes later, Ambroscious performed the perfect capriole, a move that the Lipizzaners of Spain perform. The dog jumped straight up into the air and kicked out perfectly with his back feet. Toby cheered while Sir Didymus squealed with surprise.

"What was that? What have you done to my steed?" the small creature shouted as Ambroscious landed on the ground again.

"Just a few tricks. Look, the princess is waking up."

Sir Didymus looked and indeed, Toby was correct. Majeste was moving slightly, and she put one of her hands to her face. She then opened her eyes and squinted at Toby, Sir Didymus, and Ambroscious.

"Who are you?" she asked tiredly. "Where am I?"

"We are Sir Didymus, his noble steed Ambroscious, and Master Toby, here to rescue you, my lady," Sir Didymus said bravely, trying not to shiver when he thought about the power that certainly must have been able to come from Majeste's beautiful eyes.

"You and your steed live in the Labyrinth," Majeste said, sitting up slowly, her long hair cloaking her shoulders and back. "But you," she said, looking at Toby, "I've never seen before, I don't believe."

"I came here a long time ago, or so my sister tells me," Toby smiled, and a flicker of uncertainty flashed through Majeste's eyes.

"You came here awhile ago, but you cannot remember it?" she asked, standing up.

"I was a baby," Toby said, watching as Majeste turned, as though about to begin moving towards the mountains again.

Something like a twitch became visible in Majeste's neck for a second, and she turned slowly, looking carefully at Toby. "Might your sister," she asked uncertainly, "be Sarah?"

"You know her!" Toby smiled. "Maybe you'll be able to trust me better, then, when I tell you that I'm here to help you."

Majeste's eyes clouded over for a second, but then she smiled politely and shook her head. "Where are my manners?" she asked aloud, stepping towards Toby. "I am Majeste, Princess of Crystalla." She held her hand out to Toby who promptly took it in his and shook it. He hadn't had much training in the way of handshakes, for he moved her arm up and down for several seconds before he let go of her hand. Majeste didn't seem the slightest bit phased by his strange gesture of greeting, and she turned and held her hand out to Sir Didymus. "Thank you for coming to get me, Sir Didymus," she smiled.

Sir Didymus promptly dismounted Ambroscious, knelt on one knee, and kissed Majeste's hand. "Your ladyship," he said, "I fear we haven't brought you proper assistance, but we shall do all we can to get you back to the bridge."

"I fear that your tactics shall be useless," Majeste said sadly, "and that I must continue alone. Jareth will be watching, and he most certainly will not want you helping me."

"Rumor has it, my lady, that King Jareth is being held captive in your world," Sir Didymus said.

"What? He's in Crystalla, with my father?" Majeste asked, fear in her voice.

"You needn't be afraid for King Jareth, my lady. He can care for himself," Sir Didymus squeaked.

"I'm not afraid for him. I am afraid for my father! With the beast Jareth has become, he will surely want to harm him!" Majeste exclaimed, lifting up her skirt a bit and beginning to walk quickly towards the mountains in the distance. "We haven't nearly enough time! Hurry!"

Toby had to run to keep up with the fast pace of the princess. She was very concerned, and Sir Didymus' nonstop chatter about her father being safe and everything being well did not take long to upset Majeste.

"Sir Didymus, please!" Majeste said, suddenly turning around and looking at the creature. "No more talking."

"Aye, my lady," Sir Didymus said, and for the first time that Toby could remember, he actually stopped talking.

It took over three hours for Majeste, Toby, Sir Didymus, and Ambroscious to get to the top of the distant mountains. There, Toby was met with the biggest surprise of his life, for as soon as he reached the top of the mountain, he found himself standing in the sky, gazing down at the Labyrinth far, far below. He was standing on nothing but air, and he looked to the side to see Majeste standing calmly, the wind brushing at her long hair, making her the epitome of beauty.

"Princess Majeste," Toby said, in awe of the woman's beauty, "Where are we?"

"We are in Earth Meets Sky," Majeste said quietly, gazing out before her. "The whole Labyrinth lies open to our sight."

"Can you see the bridge from here?" Toby asked.

"Yes. We must go to the castle, and then we shall pass through Confucius and the Stone Caverns before we arrive at the bridge."

A faraway look suddenly appeared in Majeste's stunning eyes, and Toby turned worriedly to face her. "Princess Majeste?"

Majeste didn't answer him, but continued to gaze at the vision that had suddenly appeared before her, invisible to Sir Didymus and Toby. Jareth was holding a woman against him, her brown hair pulled back in rich curls, his arms wrapped tightly around her. She could see Jareth's smug smile as he rested his head on the woman's shoulder, whispering something into her ear.

"I've lost him," Majeste whispered, her hand going to her mouth.

"Lost who?" Toby asked worriedly and Majeste shook her head.

"Nothing, Toby. Come, let us make our way to the castle."


	6. The Crystal King Dies and Jareth Doesn't

Yay I updated! thank you guys so much for the reviews, Code Green (the real author), really enjoys hearing from y'all. She's actually writing another Labyrinth story right now, so I'll think about puttin that one up for her to when she's done. Anyways, enjoy!

**As The World Falls Down**

A loud, terrifying crashing sound awoke Sarah out of her sleep, and she stood up to see Jareth standing at the cell window, gazing out of it with a strange, glassy expression on his face. "Jareth, what was that?" Sarah gasped, stepping into place beside him.

"See for yourself," he said simply and then moved away, his face tighter than usual.

Sarah stood up on tiptoes and looked out the cell window. There in the far distance, visible beneath the moon and starlight, was the bridge that separated Crystalla from the Labyrinth. Huge pieces of stone and crystal were plummeting at amazing speeds into the flames and water below, the crystal shattering into hundreds of pieces and the stone sinking to the bottom of the waves.

"The bridge is gone!" Sarah gasped, turning to look at Jareth. "You have to save the Labyrinth, Jareth!"

"While King Strast remains on the throne in Crystalla, the Labyrinth will survive," Jareth said, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. "Only when both leaders of the two worlds are apart from their lands will the worlds be destroyed."

"The Labyrinth is already empty of its king, Jareth! King Strast will not be alive much longer! He looked positively sick when I saw him!" Sarah exclaimed.

"He always looks sick," Jareth said easily. "Rest your fears, Sarah."

"I cannot! I have been sitting in this cell and sleeping in this cell all day and night! I want some excitement, and that would require you to save your world!" Sarah snapped.

An amused smile crossed Jareth's face, and Sarah suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Excitement you say, Sarah? Do you not realize that you are in the same prison cell as Jareth, King of the Goblins? How much more excitement do you need?" Jareth asked, walking towards her, his arms outstretched. "You know that you were never able to forget me after your first adventure in the Labyrinth. And why was it that you couldn't forget me, you ask?" He put a finger on Sarah's lips as she opened her mouth to talk. "You couldn't forget me," he said coyly, circling her, his finger still on her lips, "because of the feelings that I stirred within you. Oh, I made you feel loved and beautiful Sarah, more so than anyone else ever could. Don't tell me you haven't missed those thrilling feelings over the past several years."

"I have had the love of my fiancé, Jareth," Sarah gulped, her voice sounding weaker than she would have liked. "And you are not respecting the fact that I am engaged."

"Engagement doesn't mean commitment, my dear," Jareth smiled smugly. "Why don't you test your true love and see if he will be faithful to you even if you haven't been so to him?"

"My brother was right. You are a creep," Sarah scowled, pushing Jareth's hand away from her. "I didn't come here to be your entertainment, Jareth. I came here to save your world and rescue a princess."

"Indeed, you are saving my world with every passing second."

"Enough with the flattery, Jareth. I told you, you have no power over me anymore. I'm not dazzled by your appearance or your thoughts towards me. Good night," Sarah frowned, walking over to Ludo, who was sleeping on the floor, and cuddling up next to him.

Jareth watched Sarah make herself comfortable and then sat back on the floor again, his eyes shining wickedly in the darkness. So, the bridge was now gone which would mean Majeste was more lost than ever. He was greatly enjoying his pretend admiration towards Sarah, and he could only hope that Majeste was able to witness every sweet word, every romantic gesture.

The next day passed painfully slowly for Sarah who did everything in her power to keep Jareth away from her. She didn't know what he was up to, but every time he had a chance, he would put his arm around her or his head on her shoulder. What she really hated was when he would sneak up behind her, put his arms around her, and put his mouth next to her ear. It was in those instances that Sarah had to remember that she was engaged and that Jareth was a goblin. But oh, he was so good at romantic endeavors and his eyes could glow so darkly!

The second night in the crystal cell arrived, and Jareth was awakened from his sleep by two of the guards grabbing at his arms and pulling him to his feet.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jareth asked, struggling to his feet.

"King Strast wants to see you," one of the guards barked and dragged Jareth out of the cell.

"At this hour of the night?" Jareth frowned as he was pulled into the throne room.

The guards didn't answer but shoved him towards the throne and then took their places at the door.

Jareth stumbled a bit, having only one boot, but then he stood up straight before King Strast, his arms folded across his chest and a scowl on his face. "You called me?"

"That I did," King Strast said very quietly, and an amazing chill swept through Jareth. "I needed to speak with you one last time before…"

"Don't tell me you are going to die, Strast. You can't."

"Why can't I?"

"Because your kingdom needs you. If you die, then that means Majeste will be queen, and if she's queen, well, obviously, she isn't here," Jareth stammered.

"And your precious Labyrinth will be destroyed?" King Strast chuckled weakly and then erupted into coughs.

"What do you need me for?" Jareth asked, fear surging through him as he watched the king coughing.

"You aren't your father, Jareth, and no matter how hard you try to be like him, you can never be half as cruel as he was. I know you and my daughter aren't enemies. I need you to end the timeless curse between Crystalla and the Labyrinth. Find my daughter, repair the bridge, and then return to your kingdom. I want to make peace with you," King Strast said, his eyes glazing over.

"Why? Peace is nothing in comparison to battle. Battle keeps everyone occupied. Peace leaves them feeling…"

"Content?" King Strast finished. "Don't you want to be content for once, Jareth? All your life you have been restless and easily bored, like your father before you. Don't you want something different?"

"How do you think ending the war will bring me contentment?" Jareth growled. "I'll be more bored than ever before."

A crystal suddenly appeared in King Strast's hand, and he held it up to Jareth. "Contentment, Jareth, comes from the heart."

Jareth looked into the crystal to see Majeste, spinning around in the rain, her laughter sounding above the rain.

"You want Majeste, Jareth. If you have her, you will be content."

"Your daughter doesn't want me, Strast," Jareth growled.

"Because of the age old battle between the goblins and the people of Crystalla. Tonight, Jareth, no matter where she is, she will become queen of Crystalla. She will need someone to help her, at least to overcome the pain. If you don't bring her out of your Labyrinth, Jareth, Crystalla will perish and so will your world. The time has come to bring her back. Your game is over."

"I don't think so," Jareth scowled.

"Just let my daughter come home," King Strast whispered and then lay back on his throne a bit. "Tell her I love her."

"You can't leave me to tell her. She would kill me," Jareth growled.

"She loves you. She won't kill you," King Strast said, his body beginning to change shape.

"Don't go!" Jareth pleaded. "With you here, the Labyrinth can't die!"

King Strast didn't answer, but he breathed one last time and then, in a state of complete peace, he died. Jareth watched as the puppet form of the king suddenly transformed into the human form of the king long ago. "I once loved your daughter," Jareth said quietly, covering the king's face with his cape, "but now I fear that we shall never love again."

Jareth left the throne room and returned to his cell where Sarah was sitting up expectantly.

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"I need to repair the bridge so that I can save the Labyrinth," Jareth hissed and then opened the cell door wide. "Time to go. Get those two lugs up, will you?"

Minutes later, Jareth, Sarah, Ludo, and Hoggle were again in the crystal tunnels. Jareth seemed to be in no hurry to get to the bridge, for he constantly flirted with Sarah, who truly was beginning to think there was some greater plan behind Jareth's attitude. There was also the matter of Jareth's missing boot that slowed them down quite a bit. Jareth was able to walk for about twenty minutes on his own before he began to limp terribly, his foot very sore. Sarah could only sigh and offer to help support him, and he was much too pleased to have his arm wrapped around her shoulders for her comfort.

There was also the matter of the crystal fairies that caused a great deal of trouble. Now that the king of Crystalla was dead, they felt that they could finally take revenge on Jareth for the years of their mistreatment by the goblins. They swirled around Jareth, pulling his hair, biting him and kicking at him with their tiny legs. This torture lasted for ten minutes before the lead fairy, our old friend with the blue hair and costume, landed on Jareth's nose.

"Give up, Goblin King!" he squeaked, kicking Jareth hard on the face.

"I've had about all I can handle of you," Jareth growled, his eyebrows narrowing amazingly. "I warn you to take yourself and your army away from here."

"We aren't scared of a helpless Goblin King with a missing boot," the fairy chirped and stabbed Jareth on the nose with his spear.

"Fine then!" Jareth shouted, grabbing hold of the fairy. "I don't believe in fairies!"(1)

"Ahhhh!" The little piece of crystal dust shrieked, grabbing hold of his chest, his wings fluttering frantically. He buzzed about like a drunken bee, gagging and choking. Once his little dance of death was over, he fell to the floor, and Sarah grabbed Jareth's arm and pulled him away from the dead fairy before he stepped on him.

"Any more threats?" Jareth growled, and all the other fairies, in a great swirl of color, disappeared down a different tunnel.

"I hear the waterfall," Sarah said, stopping for a moment. "We are almost out of the caverns!"

"That's not a waterfall," Jareth said, turning his head in the direction of the sound. "That's some of the water and fire from beneath the bridge. There must be some holes in the ground surrounding the lake. We're going to get swamped."

"What do you mean?" Hoggle gasped as the sound became louder.

"Ever felt the pleasant sensation of drowning?" Jareth asked, a wicked grin appearing on his face.

"Jareth!" Sarah gasped, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Now you grab me," Jareth grinned and then turned to the far end of the tunnel. A great wave of water and fire became visible and Sarah screamed. Jareth promptly grabbed hold of Hoggle and pulled the crystal orb out of his pocket.

"Hey!" Hoggle shouted. "Ludo, get the orb from him!"

Ludo lunged clumsily at Jareth and Jareth ignored him entirely. He held the orb up in front of his face and then threw it at the wave that was rapidly approaching.

"Jareth!" Sarah screamed, her nails digging into the Goblin King's arm.

Jareth ignored Sarah's screaming and then watched as the orb dissipated into thousands of pieces, each one driving back a lick of flame or a wave of water. The water and fire began to recede, and ten minutes later, the whole body of liquid and fire was gone. The orb appeared again in Jareth's hand, and he smiled as he gazed fondly at it.

"That was all very well done," Sarah admitted, reaching out to take the orb. "Now give it back."

"Give it back," Jareth sneered, turning to look at her, his eyes blazing. "I don't think so. Obviously, I am the only one who has the power to use it properly. I will keep it with me."

"Jareth!" Sarah growled and then lunged at the orb. Before her fingers touched it, it disappeared and Jareth grinned at her. "Where did it go?" Sarah gasped, looking around. "That was our only way home!"

"It's where it belongs," Jareth said simply, and then turned, beginning to walk down the tunnel again.

"Jareth, I will not let you just walk off like that! I need that crystal!" Sarah shouted, grabbing hold of Jareth's shoulder and pulling him around to face her.

"Your touch is most beguiling," Jareth said, sparks of mischief in his eyes.

"Give me the orb!"

"You don't know where it is?"

"It's in your coat! It must be in your coat!" Sarah shouted, grabbing Jareth's high collar.

"I'm not giving it to you, Sarah."

"Then I'll get it myself!"

"Really?" Jareth asked, an amused expression on his face. "Go ahead."

Sarah suddenly noticed that she was still holding Jareth's collar, pulling his face towards hers. "If I don't get that orb back," she reasoned with herself, "then I won't be able to get back home and get married. In that case, I have to get it back."

"Jareth," Sarah said sweetly, moving her mouth towards his ear. "It would be really, really generous of you if you gave me that orb."

"And since when am I generous?" Jareth asked, a bit thrown off by Sarah's change of behavior.

"You've always been generous to me. You placed the sky within my eyes and the moon within my heart, or have you forgotten?"

Craftily, Sarah put a hand in the back of his collar, trying to find the orb. Had she been able to see Jareth's face, she would have seen that his eyes were shining brilliantly and that he was smiling with amusement. So that's what she was up to, was it? Pretending to be sweet so that she could get the orb? Now, of course the orb wasn't anywhere on Jareth, for he had the power to call it to him or make it disappear whenever and wherever he liked. He liked this game, however, and figured he would play along.

"You know, Sarah," he said craftily, wrapping his arms around her. "I can give you so much more than that. I can give you everything."

"So I know," Sarah said, beginning to get frustrated because she couldn't find the orb. "How about a crystal orb? Can you give me that?" She took her hands away from Jareth and tried to step back, but his arms were too tight around her. "Jareth!" she shouted, trying to pull away. "Let me go!"

"Come now. I thought you liked being close to me," Jareth mocked, tightening his grip instead of loosening it.

"I do not want to be embraced! Let go!" Sarah shouted, kicking at him. "Hoggle, Ludo, help me!"

"Oh, they don't want to help you," Jareth hissed, looking over Sarah's shoulder at the two. "If they do, they'll be princes in the Bog of Eternal Stench. Wouldn't you boys like that?"

Hoggle and Ludo both shook their heads no, and Sarah screamed in protest. "Jareth! Let go!"

"I tell you what," Jareth said, a grin on his face. "You keep your hands off my magic, and I'll let you go."

"All right!" Sarah shouted, and Jareth promptly let her go. She fell to the floor and then stood up, glowering at Jareth. "That was a terrible trick," she frowned.

"You were the first one to try it," Jareth said, and then turned and limped further down the tunnel.

By the time night came, Jareth, Sarah, Hoggle, and Ludo had found their way to the waterfall outside of Majeste's chambers. It had taken them that long due to Jareth's missing boot, Ludo's slow gait, and several more episodes of rushing fire and water.

"We will stop here," Jareth said, sitting down in on the crystal ground and stretching himself out.

"Ludo hungry," Ludo said unhappily, his stomach growling.

"Here," Jareth said, holding an apple out to him that had appeared in mid air. "Eat."

"That's not enough for him," Sarah sighed, lying down in between some crystal stones.

"One apple is more than enough for anyone," Jareth said. "For you, I have a different gift."

A peach appeared in Jareth's hand, and he held it out to Sarah.

"I'm not a fool," Sarah growled, gazing at the fruit. "I know that trick."

"Very well then. You shall have to go hungry," Jareth said, a plum appearing in his other hand. He threw the plum at Hoggle and then laid back, his eyes closed. "Good night, everyone."

Sarah gazed at the peach in Jareth's hand and remembered what had happened the last time she ate one of his peaches. The vision of dancing goblins and Jareth had frightened her, and yet, Jareth had still entranced her. It hadn't been too terrible a dream, and now that she was older, Sarah believed she would all right if she dreamed it again.

"Jareth," Sarah said slowly. "I want the peach, but it better not be poisoned."

"I have never had poisoned peaches," Jareth yawned and tossed the fruit to her.

Sarah watched Jareth carefully out of the corner of her eye as she held the fruit up to her mouth. His eyes were closed and he looked very comfortable. If he was asleep he wouldn't be able to play any tricks on her, so it must have been safe to eat the peach. Sarah bit into the peach, and the sweetness of it astonished her. She began to eat quickly, savoring each bite of the fruit.

The peach was gone in a matter of minutes, and Sarah tossed the pit towards the water. Before it could land in the water, it disappeared, and Sarah stood up tiredly. She caught sight of Ludo lying on the ground and walked over to him. Hoggle was asleep against the large beast's warm legs, and Sarah curled up in Ludo's arms. She then fell asleep, very peaceful and satisfied.

Jareth opened his eyes and glanced over at Sarah, his eyes glittering maliciously. He had an idea, a dreadful idea, and he stood up quietly. The best way, he knew, to get Majeste to want him was if he lay down next to Sarah, looking as though he was extremely comfortable and enjoying himself immensely. If he could get Sarah's arm around him without waking her up, the scene would be even better. Oh, how that would get Majeste's attention!

Jareth took a step towards Sarah and then stopped. There was something familiar about the way she was lying down, her long hair loose about her shoulders and her face partially covered. The face of someone else suddenly appeared before Jareth, and he sat down, memories beginning to run through his mind as rapidly as the water from the waterfall was pounding down.

_"Been visiting the princess again, Jareth?"_

_Jareth looked up to see Harin standing before him, arms crossed, his eyes glittering wickedly at his son._

_"Of course. She's enchanting. I am helpless against her charm."_

_"Jareth," Harin chuckled, beginning to circle him. "You think you love her, don't you?"_

_Jareth gulped, uncertain as to what his wicked father was getting at._

_"Goblins aren't permitted to love. Love makes us weak," Harin scowled. "We must be stronger than Crystalla. You are to avoid Majeste at all costs. If you don't, I will see to it that you are punished."_

_"You want her for yourself!" Jareth snapped, his eyes darkening._

_"Yes. If I take her, we can end the curse between Crystalla and the Labyrinth and carry out our sweet revenge. No more thinking about her, Jareth. You are becoming weak and spineless. I haven't seen you cause anyone misery in years."_

_"That's what makes one great and powerful? Causing misery?"_

_"It's what pleases me, and what pleases me is all you should worry about, since I am your king. No more time with Majeste, and start behaving like you used to. You are a goblin prince and shall someday be a goblin king. You must be hard and cold, Jareth. Softness and love, oh, the filth of that word, are to be avoided at all cost."_

_"I will do as you say," Jareth bowed, and then left the throne room._

_But Jareth did not stop meeting with Majeste. His heart became hardened as his father forced more and more responsibility and wickedness on him, but he would not stop visiting with the princess. Then came the day that Jareth was seen on the bridge by one of the goblins. He and Majeste had been dancing, and as soon as Jareth left the bridge, the goblins came and brought him before Harin._

_"Did I not tell you, Jareth, to stay away from Majeste?" Harin screamed at his son as Jareth was thrown before him._

_"I have become hardened and cruel as you wished. That should please you," Jareth scowled, breathing heavily._

_"I warned you to stay away from the crystal princess," Harin shouted. "You did not heed my warnings! Now, you shall be punished!"_

_A door suddenly opened in the dark throne room, and five enormous creatures entered the room. All of them were tall, broad, and had flaming red hair. Their eyes were yellow and their hands huge. _

_"Take Jareth out of the palace," Harin ordered, "and kill him. I will not have blood shed in my throne room."_

_"I am your son, and yet you dare to kill me!" Jareth shouted as the creatures grabbed him and dragged him out of the room. "How can you do this to me? I have hardened myself, even my heart, for you, and you order my death!"_

_The creatures dragged Jareth through the castle and then through Confucius. As they dragged him towards the outskirts of the Labyrinth, Jareth's eyes began to glow with anger and hatred. He had done everything Harin had ordered him to do except for staying away from Majeste. He had sacrificed his feelings of love for those of hate, hardening him just as he had been told to do, and had become a cold and cruel prince._

_The creatures threw Jareth against some of the stones near the bridge and began to beat him, slamming their large sticks against the prince and bashing stones against him. Jareth's heart became harder with every passing blow, and on the twentieth beating, he stood up violently and shouted. His cry was unearthly and terrifying and the five creatures suddenly disappeared. These are the creatures that later appeared in Slime with Sarah, threatening to take her head off and being entirely insane._

_Jareth turned to see Majeste running towards him from Crystalla. She was unable to stand on the bridge, and so she stood close to it, gazing worriedly at Jareth across the way. Jareth stepped onto the bridge and began to walk slowly towards her. Before he was halfway across the bridge, he fell onto his hands and knees but continued to move towards her crawling. As soon as he was close enough, he grabbed her hand and she dropped onto the bridge next to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around him. "That was too close!" she cried into his shirt, gasping. "I feared you would be killed!"_

_"You must leave!" Jareth ordered, gazing about, having thought he heard a familiar, cruel laugh. "You are in danger here."_

_"You are hurt! You won't be able to make it to the castle by yourself!"_

_"I'm going to hide. I won't go back to the castle."_

_"Come with me to Crystalla! You will be safe there!"_

_"What a pity," a voice suddenly said, and Majeste and Jareth turned to see Harin standing on the Labyrinth side of the bridge, the expression on his face frightening. "What a pity that my son should disobey me and see you once again."_

_Harin stalked onto the bridge and grabbed hold of Majeste's arm. He pulled her away from Jareth and towards the Labyrinth. He then stepped off the bridge with her and turned her towards him. "If you love Crystalla at all, you will stay with me. The war between the goblins and the people of your world will be finished, and you will have been the one to bring about peace."_

_"You don't want to stay with him," Jareth growled, dragging himself back to the Labyrinth's side of the bridge._

_"Silence!" Harin shouted and threw a great slab of stone at Jareth. The slab hit Jareth in the head, and he fell, unconscious, to the bridge._

_"Jareth!" Majeste screamed, and then looked up at Harin. "How dare you even suggest I stay with you! You are nothing but a cruel, heartless goblin!"_

_"My son shall be the same way," Harin growled, his teeth flashing at Majeste. "Come with me and end the war."_

_Majeste turned to see Jareth beginning to stir on the bridge, trying desperately to get up. Harin saw him also and threw another stone on him, this one much bigger than the first. The light in Jareth's eyes began to fade, and Majeste screamed. "Stop this!"_

_"You can stop it by simply coming with me," Harin said, and Majeste gazed at Jareth to see that Harin was starting to kill him without even touching him. Surges of something deadly were racking through Jareth's body. "What have you to lose, Majeste? I am charming and powerful, and you can have whatever you wish."_

_"No, I can't," Majeste whispered, stepping away from him and nearing the bridge without noticing it. "I want Jareth."_

_"What? I am offering you my world, and all you want is another evil, heartless goblin?" Harin snapped. "How could you want such a pathetic whelp who will treat you the same way I am?"_

_"I want him," Majeste said, her foot nearly on the bridge, "because I love him. I am willing to step on this bridge even though I know I shall possibly die in simply an attempt to get to him. All I have to do is touch his hand and I will be safe. I have always felt safe with him."_

_Harin made a strangled sound in his throat, and he gasped, "Don't say that again!"_

_"Say what?"_

_"That word! That miserable, wretched word!" Harin said, beginning to cover his ears._

_"I love Jareth," Majeste said again, and this time, Harin's reaction was incredible. _

_Harin began to choke, his face turning blue and purple. He then keeled over and fell onto his knees on the stone ground, clutching his throat and looking very much like a dying frog. His appearance alone frightened Majeste, and she stepped back, without noticing it, onto the bridge. It wasn't until Harin collapsed onto the ground, twitching violently and making terrible sounds, that Majeste saw where she was, and a look of power came across her face. "I love him," she whispered, and then, quite suddenly, before her very eyes, Harin exploded. It wasn't a bloody explosion, for one moment Majeste saw the king keeled over on the ground, and the next he was completely gone. Even though it wasn't violent, Majeste screamed and then fainted._

_Jareth, still lying on the bridge near unconsciousness, grabbed hold of Majeste as she fell and held her close to him. "My life," he gasped, breathing heavily. "Is yours."_

Jareth shook his head and saw Sarah again, sleeping peacefully next to Ludo. "My father was right," he growled, "I am spineless and pathetic."

He turned away from Sarah and sat back down again in between the rocks. "I want to see her," he whispered, holding up the thick necklace that hung around his neck and rested on his chest. It had been a gift, long ago, from Majeste, and the crescent shaped charm on the end had the power to grant one wish. "Let me go to Majeste," Jareth whispered, and a strange feeling that he was fairly familiar with overcame his body. He began to feel weightless and feathery. A hole opened up above Jareth, and the owl that was Jareth flew up into the night sky, the hole closing behind him.

Jareth flew towards his castle, for the winds told him that was where Majeste was. She, Toby, and Sir Didymus had arrived there only a short while ago after having made their way through Earth Meets Sky and the Goblin Village. The goblins had threatened them upon their arrival, but upon having recognized Majeste, they immediately fled, fearing that something worse than their goblin transformation would occur. It was because of that cowardice that Majeste and her comrades had been easily able to get into the castle.

Jareth caught sight of Majeste while he was still a far distance away from the castle. She was lying down in the window that he often sat in to look at his kingdom. From that window, one could see the whole Labyrinth.

Jareth flew to the window and then flew over Majeste's sleeping form into the castle. He could see Sir Didymus and Ambroscious asleep in one corner of the room, and in another corner was someone that he didn't recognize. He wasn't too interested in those three; however, for he had only wanted to see if they were asleep. Satisfied that they were, he turned again to Majeste and landed next to her. He gently moved one of his wings, resting it on her neck for a moment, and then he was transformed from an owl into his goblin form, his hand on Majeste's neck and his face close to hers. He was wearing the white outfit that he always wore after having been an owl, and he breathed heavily, the transformation having shaken him up a bit. The feathers on his shirt moved as he breathed, and they brushed gently against Majeste's skin.

The princess' eyes opened, and she sat up suddenly, gasping as her head hit Jareth, causing him in turn to hit her in the neck with his head and fall very clumsily onto the floor.

"You!" Majeste gasped, standing up and moving away from Jareth. "What are you doing here?"

"I only have a few minutes," Jareth said, getting off the floor and standing in front of her. "I bring you news."

"Did you just get here?" Majeste asked suspiciously, running her fingers through her hair.

"Yes. I bring you bad news, Majeste."

"Yes, you do. You are here."

"That is bad news?"

"Considering everything you have been tormenting me with, yes," Majeste said, choking on her emotions.

"Majeste, I tell you something else," Jareth said, his voice suddenly gentle as he placed a hand on Majeste's neck. "You are now the queen of Crystalla."

"What?" she gasped, pushing his hand away from her and stepping back.

"Your father perished last night."

"My…father…" Majeste stammered, and even in the dim lighting of the room, Jareth could see tears streaming down her cheeks.

"The bridge is now gone, which means that I need to save my world. The Labyrinth is being destroyed."

"The Labyrinth? Your world?" Majeste gasped. "You were with my father when he died, weren't you?"

"Of course I was."

"How dare you come to me! You have been tormenting me terribly with Sarah, and now you come to me telling me that your world needs to be saved! What about my world?" Majeste gasped, her voice drowned in tears. "I never asked anything from you, and look what you have done to me! You have banished me from my land and now you expect me to help you!"

"I only have a few more minutes," Jareth snarled, becoming frustrated. "I know your father's death hurts, but that makes you queen of Crystalla and you now need to save your world. Stop crying over it and be the queen you are supposed to be!"

"Get out!" Majeste cried, her body becoming weak. "Leave me or I shall turn you into an owl forever!"

"You wouldn't!" Jareth snapped, grabbing Majeste by the neck and pulling her to him. "I have a world to rule and even if it's by force, you will come to that bridge so that I can save the Labyrinth!"

"You shan't rule it with my help!" Majeste gasped. "For all I care, the Labyrinth can go up in flames and you with it! How can you hurt me so? You are acting just like your father!"

"My father," Jareth growled, pulling her to him, "would have taken everything from you already."

"I saved you!" Majeste sobbed, putting her hands on Jareth's shirt. "My father had no hard feelings towards you!"

"I have plenty of reasons to be against your father," Jareth said, finding a strange feeling of pity flowing through him and fighting it with all his might. "He resented me because I am a goblin, and he had more power than I."

"Jareth," Majeste gasped, having difficulty breathing through her tears of grief, "hold me!"

"We fight and you ask me to hold you?" Jareth asked, stepping back from her. "I came here to save my world."

"Both of my parents are now dead, and I am alone. Please, hold me so that I can find the strength to continue!" Majeste pleaded. "One touch from you is enough to comfort me."

"You shall never again feel a touch from me," Jareth snarled, folding his arms across his chest. "You lost your chance."

"You loved me, Jareth!"

"That was long ago! I have a world to save!"

"As heartless as you appear to be, I know you still care," Majeste said, stepping boldly towards him. "I can see it in your eyes, and why else would you have come here?"

"To convince you to get to the bridge as soon as possible," Jareth growled, watching as Majeste drew closer to him. He disliked the feeling of compassion that was raging within him and very much wanted to turn away and disappear. The look in Majeste's eyes, though, and her exquisite beauty, froze him.

"You do not move," Majeste whispered, her voice soft as she spoke through her tears.

"I can't," Jareth frowned. "What spell have you cast on me? I am stuck in place!"

"I haven't done anything to you."

"Stop crying, Majeste."

"Was that compassion in your voice?"

"No!" Jareth shouted and then frowned as Toby moved in his corner of the room. "I have no compassion!"

Majeste stepped forward and placed a trembling hand on Jareth's face. "Look at me and tell me you don't care."

"I…don't care!" Jareth said quickly, and then, in a flurry of feathers and passion, he grabbed her and held her to him.

"I've lost you, Jareth! I've lost you and my father both! All hope is gone! Come back to me, Jareth!" Majeste cried into his shirt. "Save me from this frightful world!"

Jareth was at a loss for words, so he simply held Majeste and let her cry. He could never understand how she was able to overpower him, how she was able to stir up such outstanding emotions within him. Majeste seemed to calm down in his grasp, and as her gasps and sobs became softer, Jareth, wanting very much to love her and at the same time wanting to appear cold and heartless, kissed her gently on the head. "As the pain sweeps through, I'll be there for you," he whispered so that she could not hear him and then let go of her. "This war isn't over yet," he added, his voice cold and hard. "Until you help save my world, there will always be war. You aren't safe simply because I've been generous to you now. Farewell."

Majeste looked up to see him, again as an owl, flying out of the castle and into the night.

* * *

1 - no this is not a blatant Peter Pan mockery > > 


	7. Confuscious and Mushy Stuff

Dang it I did it again. Ah well. have fun, and give the author some love!!

**As The World Falls Down**

"Majeste?" Toby asked the next morning as he followed her through the palace. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," Majeste nodded, stepping through another doorway.

"Did you see the owl flying around you last night?"

"An owl?" Majeste asked, stopping for a moment and turning to look at Toby.

"Yes. He was really big, and he was flying around you a bit. It was really weird."

"What happened to him?" Majeste asked, a trace of fear in her eyes.

"I don't know. I fell asleep."

"There was an owl," Majeste said. "Now come along. We need to get out of here."

"Why?"

"It's Jareth's castle and he'll no doubt have some surprises waiting for us if we don't hurry and get out."

"That was he last night, wasn't it?"

"Who?"

"The owl. Sarah told me that he can turn into an owl."

Majeste suddenly put a hand over Toby's mouth and gazed about the room worriedly. "Listen," she whispered. "Don't ever talk about Jareth out loud. If he finds out that you know anything about him, he'll get you for sure. He already tried to turn you into a goblin once. Don't encourage him to do it again."

"He's trapped in Crystalla. He can't hear me," Toby frowned as she moved her hand.

"Jareth has powers that even I don't fully understand," Majeste said, glancing about the room they were in. "He can see and hear everything that happens in the Labyrinth. It's part of him. No more questions. Come on."

Toby followed Majeste with wide eyes, a chill sweeping through him. Was it possible for the Goblin King to appear wherever he liked whenever he liked?

"Courage, Master Toby," Sir Didymus chirped as Majeste moved quickly, the room echoing as thunder sounded outside.

"Is it just me," Toby wondered aloud, "or does the weather seem to be getting really bad?"

"Toby, come here," Majeste suddenly ordered, and Toby moved over to her. He was astonished when she threw an arm around him and pulled him into a doorway.

"What are you doing?" Toby gasped as she held onto him tightly and braced herself in the doorway.

"The world is falling down," Majeste said, her eyes afraid in the darkness that hung frightfully about the castle.

The ground shook terribly, and Majeste tightened her grip on Toby.

Seconds later, the ground stopped shaking, and Majeste opened a door. "Let's see what is in here," she said, trying to sound cheerful, but Toby could tell she was disturbed by something.

Toby, Majeste, Sir Didymus, and Ambroscious stepped into the room and the door slammed shut eerily behind them. Lightning flashed outside of the room's windows, illuminating the room momentarily. The room was nothing but stairways, going left, right, upside down, right side up, and sideways. There were over thirty doors by each stairway, and Majeste gasped. "Turn around!" she ordered. "Go back through the door we came through!"

Toby turned and found that instead of there being only the one door they had come through, there were three. Not only were there three doors, but also they were moving too quickly for him to grab hold of one of them.

The lightning flashed again, and Toby caught sight of an owl standing calmly in one of the open windows, gazing down at him curiously. "Majeste," he whispered hoarsely, tugging at Majeste's sleeve. "I don't think that owl was there before."

"Owl?" Majeste gasped, spinning to see the owl. As soon as she laid eyes on it, it flew up into the air and swooped down towards her, claws extended. "Toby, Sir Didymus! Get out of here!" Majeste shouted.

The owl suddenly flew in front of her, his wings beating at her face, blinding her.

"Stop it!" Majeste screamed. "Toby, get out of here! Run!"

"We cannot run when you are in distress, my lady!" Sir Didymus squeaked, and Majeste screamed again as one of the claws scraped across her cheek.

"That was an order, Sir Didymus! Do not defy me! Keep Toby safe!"

A minute later, Majeste slipped and fell, landing in a crouch on the floor, the slit in her dress from her journey through the Winds of Time revealing a long, bloody scratch on her leg.

"Jareth! Stop this!" Majeste screamed, and instantly the owl disappeared.

Majeste stood up slowly and gazed about the room. "Toby?" she called, and there was no answer. The great maze of a room was very dark, only lit occasionally by flashes of lightning. Majeste trembled, for darkness frightened her and the storm outside was very great. She could hear the wind howling and rain beating like stones against the palace walls.

Majeste began to walk, climbing up one staircase only to find that it led to nowhere. The lightning flashed and the thunder sounded again, and Majeste shuddered, her eyes wide. "How can I get out of here?"

As Majeste walked about, trying to find a way out, she didn't see Jareth appear in the darkness behind her, his eyes glowing. He was playing with his remaining crystal orb, watching it dance easily across his fingers. He looked up and gazed at Majeste, a small smile on his face.

"Afraid of the dark, Majeste?"

Majeste gasped and then turned around. No one was in the darkness, and she shivered fearfully. "Where are you?" she asked.

"Up, down, in or out. You pick."

"I don't want to play games, Jareth. Where are you?"

"Where I always have been."

"Where would that be?"

"In the darkness watching you."

A hand suddenly came up around Majeste's throat, and she screamed, her scream echoing through the room. "You forgot the part about you being behind me," she gulped. "Will you permit me to turn around and see you?"

"I think not. I'm not in the mood for any of your tricks."

"Tricks?" Majeste asked. "You are hurting me."

"Tricks, such as gazing at me with your tear-clouded eyes and begging me to hold you. I'm a goblin, nothing more, nothing less."

"You are angry that you showed compassion last night," Majeste said slowly and then tried to turn.

Jareth keep his hand tight on her throat and pulled her back against him. "Angry?" he hissed, his mouth close to her ear. "Why would I be angry? I am here to compromise."

"Compromise what?" Majeste gulped, having difficulty breathing.

"Give me the power to rule your world and then we won't have to meet at the bridge and the Labyrinth will be saved."

"How can I possibly give you power over Crystalla?" Majeste gasped. "You aren't the born heir to the throne and I am not dead. You wouldn't kill me!"

"I am an evil goblin," Jareth hissed again, running his fingers against her throat. "When I want something, I get it. Give it to me, and I won't have to take it."

"I only have one form of power, Jareth, and you have abused me too much for me to give it to you," Majeste said, growing irritated by Jareth's touch. "Take your hands off me."

"If this power is the same one that enabled you to stand freely on the bridge, then you can give it to me, for you can never lose it. You don't have the strength to do it."

"I freely gave you my love, Jareth," Majeste said, "and I can freely take it back. Showing you my love won't give you the power to rule Crystalla."

Jareth spun her around suddenly, his hand still on her throat, his face inches away from hers. "Name me king over Crystalla, Majeste, and the destruction of the worlds will cease. It will take you days to find your way to the bridge. My kingdom will be destroyed by then."

"I would have to whole-heartedly name you king, Jareth, and I cannot do it," Majeste said firmly, trying to pull away from him. "I can't even love you anymore. You won't let me."

"If you don't, I shall leave you to find your way out of the Labyrinth alone."

"What have you done with Toby and Sir Didymus?" Majeste asked, still pulling away.

"Their welfare is my own concern," Jareth smiled, pulling Majeste even closer to him so quickly that she fell against him. "Give me what I ask for and I shall leave you alone."

"You can never leave me alone. You never were able to, and you never will be able to. I will not let you become king of my father's world. You shall have to be patient and wait for me to get to the bridge."

"I want the destruction to stop now!"

"It can't while I am here and you are in Crystalla. We shall have to meet on the bridge. That is the only way to stop the destruction. The longer it takes for me to get there, the more destruction there will be," Majeste said, her breath hot on Jareth's face as she breathed heavily, trying to get away from him. "Now release me so that I can find my way to the bridge, with or without help."

"You resent me," Jareth growled, putting his forehead against hers.

"I do," Majeste said, still straining to get away from him. "How can I care for you after the way you have been treating me? You leave me in darkness in a great maze and grab hold of me as though I were a doll. You threaten me and demand that I hand my kingdom over to you. I can't possibly care for you any longer."

"Say it like you mean it," Jareth said, his mouth uncomfortably close to Majeste's.

"Don't start," Majeste said, noting the change in his voice. "If you think I'm going to give you my kingdom because you suddenly become charming, you are very mistaken."

"Mistaken, Majeste? You used to tremble at my touch," Jareth smiled slightly, his eyes closed and his mouth on Majeste's cheek. "You can't resist me. It's not in your character."

"You think me a weak fool," Majeste stammered. "You believe I will give in to my emotions and give you my kingdom."

"I don't think you are a weak fool. I think you are helplessly in love."

"Jareth, get away from me!" Majeste gasped, again pulling to get away.

"Think how simple it would be if you gave the kingdom to me. I could stop the destruction of the two worlds and then give Crystalla back to you. The worlds would be able to heal," Jareth said and then put a finger on Majeste's face. He ran it along the scratch that he had made as an owl, and the scratch began to heal beneath his touch.

"You would give Crystalla back to me?" Majeste asked, the tremble Jareth had been anticipating shivering through her body.

"Maybe…" Jareth murmured, stroking the place where the scratch had been.

"No, you wouldn't," Majeste answered for him, and then pulled back. "I'll find the way to the bridge on my own if I have to. I will not hand Crystalla over to you."

A vicious glow began to shine in Jareth's eyes and he snarled, "It will be nearly impossible for you to get through this room and Confucius."

"I'll do it," Majeste said and then pulled away, falling down a few stairs due to the strength it had taken her to release herself.

"You will do it alone, in the dark, without any mercy from me," Jareth shouted and then pulled his cape around his face. An instant later, he was an owl again, and he flew past Majeste, brushing his wing against her cheek as he did so. He then disappeared out the window and Majeste dropped to her knees, gasping as the scratch from before reappeared and stung worse than it had when she first received it.

Majeste did not like having to stay in a dark confusing room by herself, but she discovered, as she stood up slowly, blood on her hand, that she would much rather be by herself in the strange place than with Jareth. He knew she was trying to stay strong, yet he played on her emotions. He understood that she would never give her world to him, and yet he had tried his best to take it. He had healed her wound, trying to entice her, and when refused, he had made the wound come back, hurting more than it had the first time.

Majeste glanced at the long slit in her skirt and shuddered. She was a very modest person and would have greatly liked for her dress to be repaired, for she was almost positive Jareth had seen the scratch, and the last thing she wanted was for him to think more wickedly of her than he already was.

Using her right hand, Majeste held the slit shut and then began to walk, first up one stairway and then down another. Numerous times she fell, bruising several parts on her body and getting ugly cuts on several other parts. After half an hour passed, she began to panic, and she quickened her speed to a run, racing up and down stairs and in and out of doors.

"If you want the Labyrinth to stay in one piece," She finally shouted, lightning flashing outside, "then you shall have to free me, Jareth! If I can't find my way out, your world will perish!"

There was no answer, and Majeste scowled as she stepped towards another door. "So be it," she said as she opened the door. "The Labyrinth will perish as well as Crystalla. Due to ancient legend, Jareth, you and I will be the last ones to perish, and it will be a cruel and tormenting death. That is the way it was always said to be when the worlds fell down and only the two leaders were left."

A voice cut into Majeste's mind, cold and unfeeling. "And you want to perish in such a manner, don't you?"

Majeste shivered and walked through the doorway, leaving the frightening room behind her and stepping out into a long corridor outside, rain pounding on her and lightning flashing overhead. "I must be in Confucius," she said uncomfortably, putting a hand on one of the corridor's mossy, slimy walls. She suddenly remembered Toby and Sir Didymus and began to shout. "Toby! Sir Didymus! Ambroscious! Where are you?"

"Haven't seen them," A deep voice said from behind her, and she turned to see a goblin leaning against the wall, nibbling on something.

"Who are you?" Majeste asked, noting that his stance was quite familiar.

"Jaif," the goblin replied curtly. He put his hand against the wall and Majeste noticed a bush of some sort with eyes placed on the wall. Jaif promptly pulled some of the eyes off and ate them. Majeste's stomach churned, and she stepped away, her face turning pale.

"You wouldn't happen to know the way out of this, would you?" She asked, looking away from Jaif.

"It depends on where you want to go. Slime is one way, the castle another, Winds of Time another…"

"I want to get to the bridge separating the Labyrinth from Crystalla," Majeste said curtly.

"Oh. In that case, I don't know," Jaif said easily.

"You knew where all the other exits were."

"Yes, but I wasn't threatened with death if I told you about those."

Majeste sighed and shook her head. "Very well then. Good bye."

Majeste left Jaif and began to follow the paths through Confucius. She had only been walking for fifteen minutes when she suddenly slipped on a small puddle of mud and landed on her hands and knees in a bed of thorns. She let out a great cry and then stood up shakily, the bottom of her dress ripping off. Majeste was afraid to look at her hands and legs. They burned ferociously and she knew that they were greatly damaged. The thorns had managed to slide across the tops of her wrists as well, leaving her with thin bracelets of blood.

"I didn't think it would ever come to this," Majeste sobbed as she grabbed hold of one of the walls for support, blood staining her dress. "I should always have avoided the goblins as I was taught to. I was foolish and allowed myself to be entranced. Never again will I do that. I shall be hard and cruel in return for the coldness that I received."

Majeste looked at her hands and legs to find that they were bleeding terribly in uncountable places, and her tears stung her scratched face as she cried.

"There, there now. I don't believe a young lady like yourself would be able to become so cold."

Majeste glanced at the wall to see a small worm looking up at her expectantly, his blue hair flattened from the rain(1).

"Why not?" she found herself asking.

"If you become so hard, you will only become one of them."

"One of what?"

"The goblins of course, and then Harin will have won after all."

"Why do you speak to me like this?" Majeste asked, leaning over to see the worm better.

"You are the princess of Crystalla, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"It isn't your nature to be cold and hating. That is why he needs you."

"He needs me?" Majeste asked, confused.

"Yes, the King of the Goblins. He needs you because you are the kind side of him."

"He doesn't have a trace of kindness in his body," Majeste frowned. "Thank you for the help, little worm, but perhaps Jareth will do best if he receives his own treatment."

"Since when has cruelty ever resolved anything?"

"Since when has kindness?" Majeste snapped and then continued walking, tears streaming down her angry face. "I don't want to be so kind," she whispered to herself. "I'm tired of being loving when all I receive back is evil. I am willing to be kind to everyone except for Jareth," she resolved. "I'll treat him with the same cruelty he gives me."

A flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, as though the storm was adding more power to Majeste's words. Majeste felt strong as she walked, but there was a lingering feeling of deep pain in her heart, and she knew, try as she might, that she would never be able to free herself of it, no matter how cruel she was.

Toby, Sir Didymus, and Ambroscious, in the meantime, found themselves standing amongst the rocks that were on the Labyrinth side of the abyss.

"How did we get here?" Toby wondered, scratching his head. "It must have been one of the Goblin King's tricks."

"Which leaves the beloved princess of Crystalla in grave danger," Sir Didymus piped up unhappily. "We have failed her."

"She told us to leave," Toby shrugged.

"But if we were noble knights, we would have stayed."

"Perhaps she wanted to see King Jareth alone. If they love each other, you know…" Toby suggested and then shuddered, sticking his tongue out. "Never mind. Now I'm grossed out."

"They don't love each other!" Sir Didymus harrumphed. "One is a goblin and the other is a crystal princess. Goblins are not permitted to love, and the people of Crystalla loathe the goblins. The battles between them go back hundreds of years."

"It was a totally gross book that I had to read for school, but have you ever read _Romeo and Juliet_?" Toby asked.

"Never heard of it."

"It's about a young lord or something who falls in love with the daughter of his enemies. They end up getting married and then both die. Their death brings about the friendship of their two families," Toby said. "It was a disgusting book, but maybe that is what is happening between the goblins and the crystal people."

"You are suggesting that King Jareth is in love with someone?" Sir Didymus asked, his nose twitching.

"It's possible, isn't it?"

"He was in love with Sarah once."

"Gross! Dude, why are you telling me that?" Toby asked, squishing up his face. "They didn't kiss, did they?"

"I don't think so. I suppose King Jareth can be romantic when he wants to be," Sir Didymus said and then harrumphed again. 'It's an agitating thought, however."

"Okay, let's change the subject now," Toby winced. "Too much mushy stuff. What are we going to do now?"

"I suppose we will have to wait for her ladyship to get here."

"Assuming that she does."

"She will," Sir Didymus nodded. "King Jareth doesn't like to play with his prey for too long. He gets bored."

"I do need to go back home soon," Toby sighed, sitting down and gazing at the fire and water in the abyss. "I'd have to do homework again, but I do miss my mom and dad."

"As soon as the bridge is repaired, you will be returned to your home, young one. For now, rest, and we shall wait for King Jareth and Princess Majeste to come to terms."

_I hope that won't involve a whole bunch of romantic stuff,_ Toby thought to himself.

* * *

(1) - yes my dear friends this is in fact our blue friend who 'Allo'ed Sarah! 


	8. Return of the Grues?

OMG it's the next to last chapter! but fear not! the wonderful author who is not me who is known as Code Green has written yet another Labyrinth fanfic (you can thank me for getting her hooked on it). so tell me whether you want me to post it! I WILL ONLY POST IT IF I GET VOTES!

meh i'm so bad at this :)

As The World Falls Down

"What have you been up to?" Sarah asked suspiciously as Jareth sat across from her in the crystal tunnel, his face tight with agitation.

"It is not wise to question his majesty when he has such an expression on his face," Hoggle whispered to Sarah, trembling.

"We can't just have him constantly disappearing with that crystal. He could leave us here forever," Sarah said back and then walked over to Jareth. "Jareth, where have you been? Why do you keep leaving? We are supposed to find our way out of here."

Jareth didn't answer and Sarah growled in frustration.

"I think we might almost be out of the caverns," Hoggle said, gazing down one of the tunnels.

"Then we can get to the bridge and meet Majeste there," Sarah said and then stood up.

"She won't be there," Jareth said, playing with the crystal orb in his hand.

"Why not?" Sarah asked and then noticed the smug grin on Jareth's face. "What did you do to her?"

"Why are you accusing me of anything?" Jareth asked, his dark eyes looking into hers. "Perhaps she's to blame."

"Not from the character description I've heard of her!" Sarah exclaimed.

"And what would that be?" Jareth asked, standing up and pacing.

"She's a beautiful woman with a great deal of kindness and patience," Sarah said, watching him pace.

"Who told you such things?"

"Hog…" Sarah stopped, realizing that she might be endangering her friend.

"And has Hoggle ever seen Majeste?" Jareth asked, turning to Hoggle.

"Once, sire," Hoggle stammered uncomfortably.

"Only once?"

"Well, once in person."

"And how did you see her the other time?" Jareth growled, grabbing hold of Hoggle's collar.

"Once, sire, when you were sitting on your throne, I saw her."

"Saw her where?" Jareth shouted.

"In your…"

"In where?" Jareth roared, dropping Hoggle to the ground.

"In your eyes!" Hoggle shouted back. "There was a look of thoughtfulness and kindness in your eyes that I had never seen there before, and I knew it was her. She was indeed beautiful."

"What was she doing in my…my eyes?" Jareth scowled, sitting down again.

"Now then, sir…" Hoggle stammered, and Jareth's eyes burned into his.

"What was she doing?" he demanded.

Hoggle blushed a bit and then said calmly, "Dancing with you, sire."

"You are trying to flatter me with kind words so that I will go to the bridge," Jareth snarled.

"Of course we want you to go to the bridge!" Sarah shouted. "The world is beginning to fall apart!"

"Majeste has decided that it would be best that way."

"Majeste!" Sarah shouted. "I think you decided that!"

"Majeste wouldn't compromise, therefore she forfeits her world, forcing me to abandon mine," Jareth shrugged.

"Let me go talk to her!" Sarah shouted.

"That would be amusing," Jareth grinned, his eyes glittering. "After everything she's seen and heard about you, you would be one of the first people she would take her anger out on. I have a better idea, Sarah darling."

The orb appeared in Jareth's hand and he spoke to it. "Get Grues for me."

The orb turned into a bubble and floated out of Jareth's hand and out of the tunnels.

"Who is Grues?" Sarah asked, worried.

"Someone who will see to it that Majeste goes to the bridge when I want her to. I want her to suffer a bit before she gets there," Jareth said easily.

"I thought you want to save your worlds!"

"After she refused my generous proposals and was cold, I think I should give her a little more time for consideration," Jareth said and then watched as the bubble reappeared, floating towards him.

The bubble popped before it reached Jareth, and a large, frightening creature dropped down from it. He was huge, red, and had a terrible, forked tongue flicking in and out of his mouth.

"There you are, Grues," Jareth said, gazing at the creature. "I have another assignment for you."

"Yes, master?" Grues hissed.

"Go to Confucius. There you will find Majeste roaming about, trying to find her way out. Do everything you can to confuse her and make her more lost than she already is. In two days, if she is weak and susceptible, bring her to the abyss where the bridge used to be."

"Yes master," Grues said and then moved away from Jareth, about to step into another bubble that had appeared.

"Oh, and Grues," Jareth said, his voice menacing, "if you so much as touch Majeste, I shall throw you to the frog creatures, whatever they are, and they will feed you to the despas. I will not have the object of my punishment being touched by your filthy body."

"Yes master," Grues growled and then disappeared into the bubble.

"Why did you do that?" Sarah asked. "The girl doesn't deserve it!"

"Doesn't deserve it?" Jareth snorted. "She refused a king, Sarah, and for that, she is worthy of death. I am treating her far better than that. She is in the process of learning some very valuable lessons, to be sure."

"Such as what?" Sarah gasped.

"Goblins hate the word, lo… Oh, whatever that word is. They hate it and they can't feel it. Secondly, goblins, especially goblin kings, are not to be mocked. Thirdly," Jareth spoke and a shrewd smile formed on his face, "there is nothing any self-respecting woman could want more than a goblin king."

"You are being so selfish! That's not fair!" Sarah exclaimed.

"There you go again with the not fairs. It's perfectly fair. Majeste wounded my pride, so I'll teach her a few lessons. It's very simple, Sarah, now stop worrying about her."

"What is Grues going to do with her?"

"I don't know. I gave him free will to do what he likes, so long as he doesn't touch her."

"Jareth!"

"Last time I put Grues in charge of anything," Jareth said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "he did a very good job of nearly drowning his prey in the Bog of Eternal Stench."

"I thought you loved Majeste!"

"Sarah!" Jareth sounded, standing up. "I told you goblins don't know half of what that word means!"

"Yes they do," Hoggle said quietly. "I've seen it in your eyes."

"You have spoken too far!" Jareth shouted, the orb appearing in his hands. "I banish you to the Labyrinth!"

"Hoggle!" Sarah shouted as Hoggle disappeared. "That was entirely evil, Jareth! He did nothing wrong!"

"Do not provoke me, Sarah," Jareth warned. "I have been generous before, but there is always the possibility of my losing all thoughts of generosity."

"Your generosity cannot be found in the dictionary," Sarah murmured. "What are we going to do now?"

"I suppose we can just stay here for the time being. We have two days before we need to be at the bridge. I may change my mind between now and then and have us stay here forever."

"Jareth, I demand that you stop tormenting Majeste and bring us to the bridge!" Sarah panicked. "I have to get home! I have a wedding to plan and things to take care of! I have a life to live!"

"Ah yes, twould be a pity to miss your own wedding," Jareth said, his eyes glowing.

"Stop pretending you care for me. I don't know what your relationship to Majeste is, but it must be something important otherwise you wouldn't keep seeing her."

"My relationship with Majeste is strictly political," Jareth said simply.

"Then how is it that you saw her dancing and you can't seem to stay away from her for very long?"

"Perhaps it's an attempt to make you jealous," Jareth said with a smile. "Perhaps I am trying to convince you that I am far better than any other love interest you might have."

"This is all so confusing!"

"Precisely," Jareth said, running his fingers together with pleasure. "The more you and everyone else are confused about what is really happening, the better. I don't want you to know or understand everything. You women are too curious for your own good."

Sarah huffed indignantly at that remark and then sat down, staring angrily at Jareth. He was so confusing, so enchanting, and so terribly irritating! She was also very curious about the strange way Jareth was beginning to look. His blonde hair seemed overnight to suddenly have dark brown and red tips. His eyes seemed to become darker than they ever were before, and his teeth, which were already slightly pointed, seemed suddenly to become even pointier. His appearance concerned Sarah.

What was truly happening to Jareth was this: he was losing all forms of kindness and consideration. True, he had never had much to begin with, but there was a very distinct pattern in his long life, that, in taking the time to look at it, would have made perfect sense. When first Jareth was introduced to the people of Crystalla, he had been enchanted by Majeste and had fallen madly in love with her, more so than she had fallen in love with him. He had shown her great love in so many different ways it was remarkable. He had opened his heart to her; shared things with her that now disgusted him. As time had progressed, Harin had seen the love that radiated from his son and had loathed it, hence the reason he had a deep conversation with Jareth about how goblins couldn't love for they were incapable of it. Jareth had grown to believe his father but had still loved Majeste. Not long after Harin died and Jareth became king, he had granted Sarah's wish for him to take her brother to the goblins, but in so doing, he had become entranced by his own tricks and had, as Sarah wished, fallen in love with her. The love lasted only as long as Sarah was in the Labyrinth. It had taken several years after Sarah left for Jareth to understand what had happened to him when she had come to the Labyrinth. It was then that the great change took place. Jareth became guilty. He had trapped and tricked a young girl, had fallen in love with her, and had hurt Majeste. Being a goblin, Jareth did not know how he could overcome his guilt and had allowed the years to pass with him falling deeper and deeper into bitterness at himself. That was why, when Majeste saw him again for the last time on the bridge, he had cast her into the Labyrinth for refusing him. Her refusal had made him feel that he could never be forgiven, and now that Sarah was returned, he was becoming harder and crueler than ever. In a summary of what was happening, Jareth was becoming greatly like his evil father before him, for his heart was now hard, almost beyond repair, and his cruelty was at its peak.

Jareth, for his part, could only sit casually on his throne of crystals and smile. He was enjoying tormenting Majeste and Sarah. Now he didn't care so much if Majeste loved him, he only wanted to save his world and rule hers. She was a stubborn woman, he determined, stroking his chin. She didn't deserve someone like him. No, she didn't deserve him at all.

Majeste was in the process of turning a corner when she heard a loud sound behind her.

"Toby?" she asked, turning around.

"No, my lady," Hoggle sighed, standing up slowly. "Hoggle."

"I have heard of you," Majeste said. "Jareth used to speak of you."

"He speaks plenty of you," Hoggle said uncomfortably. "You are in danger."

"Of course I am," Majeste smiled slightly. "I am in Jareth's kingdom."

"Do you remember Jareth's father, Harin?" Hoggle asked, bowing curtly before he walked over to Majeste.

"Yes."

"He's starting to look like him a little bit."

"Jareth?" Majeste gasped, fear shining brilliantly in her eyes.

"Yes. He has sent Grues to find you."

"Grues? Why would he do that?" Majeste asked, confused. "What did I do to him?"

"Nothing, I think. I think it is because the worlds are falling apart," Hoggle said.

"He was becoming worse each time I saw him," Majeste said worriedly. "How can I stop it?"

"I don't know. I don't think he can be helped."

Majeste looked up at the lightning that streaked above her and she shook her head unhappily. "Perhaps I can do nothing. He must be lost."

The sound of agony and hurt in Majeste's voice caused Hoggle to study her face carefully. "It's true, isn't it?" he asked carefully. "You do love the Goblin King."

"I don't believe in love anymore," Majeste said, turning away from him and continuing her walk. "There's no love left to believe in."

Hoggle followed quietly after Majeste, noting her tattered dress, her matted her, and her numerous bloodstains.

"All the same," Hoggle said quietly. "The king sent Grues after you."

"That is the least of my troubles," Majeste sighed. "I need to get back to Crystalla."

"He has been sent to confuse you."

"He isn't here yet," Majeste said. "Besides, I don't have to listen to anything he tells me."

"He can be very conniving, from what I've heard."

"No one can be as conniving as Jareth, and since I have been able to resist Jareth, I can resist Grues," Majeste frowned. "Do you know how to get out of here, Hoggle?"

"I'm not sure," Hoggle said uncomfortably, and Majeste turned to face him.

"You aren't sure, or you are afraid to tell me?" She asked. "Has Jareth threatened you also?"

"No, but I think helping you would be the death of me."

"Does Jareth have everyone in the palm of his hand?" Majeste sighed and then shook her head. "Hoggle, don't forget that your friends are still with Jareth."

"I know that," Hoggle frowned. "They are in as much danger as we are."

"If they get Jareth to the bridge and I am not there, the worlds will still fall apart," Majeste said unhappily. "We have to be there at the same time, Hoggle. If you don't tell me how to get there, you will die anyway."

"All right," Hoggle sighed, throwing up his hands in defeat. "See that great tree way over yonder? The one with the branches hanging out above the wall?"

"Yes," Majeste nodded.

"If you always go to that tree, it will lead you…"

"Absolutely nowhere," A hissing voice spoke, and Majeste and Hoggle started. They turned to see Grues standing next to one of the walls, having appeared out of nowhere.

"That's not true," Hoggle said, pointing a finger at Grues. "You were sent to confuse her."

"And so I shall."

"Did Jareth tell you not to harm me?" Majeste asked, watching as Grues stalked towards her, his tongue flicking in and out.

"I will not disclose that information," Grues grinned, his fangs very sharp and nearly dripping with venom.

"He was ordered not to touch you," Hoggle said, and instantly, Grues pounced on him, knocking him to the floor.

"He ordered me not to harm her ladyship," Grues snapped, his eyes blazing. "He said nothing about keeping you alive."

"Release him!" Majeste panicked, leaping at Grues and reaching out to grab him by the neck. Grues turned sharply and snapped his fangs at her, nearly getting her hand.

"You are trying to get yourself killed," Hoggle said in surprise. "You were very close to getting her hand."

"Listen, Hoggle! I will kill you if you try and help the queen. If I don't, the king himself will, so I advise you to keep all information to yourself," Grues snarled, moving away from Hoggle. "Your majesty," he said, turning to Majeste, "that tree leads to nowhere. Now, I don't expect you to follow me, since someone has already told you about me, but I believe that I will escort you and your nosy companion to wherever you happen to be going."

"I'm going to that tree," Majeste said with determination.

"Are you certain you want to go that way?" Grues asked. "Seems to me that the tree leads you back to the palace."

"Confucius was formed by the goblins," Majeste said, moving towards the distant tree. "That would make everything uncertain."

"I do hope you aren't going to assist her, Hoggle," Grues hissed as he stalked after Majeste.

"I reckon I'm not a brave person," Hoggle said, walking next to him, "but I don't want to die, either."

"Surely all that nonsense about both worlds being destroyed is false," Grues snapped.

"No, it isn't," Majeste said, nearly tripping on her tattered skirt as she walked. "If the Goblin King and I do not repair the bridge in a very short time, both the Labyrinth and Crystalla will fall to pieces. The destruction has already begun. Look at these walls." Majeste gestured to the walls with her hand. "They are already crumbling."

Grues looked at the wall she had indicated and carefully tapped it with his paw. Instantly, the wall crumbled and Grues jumped away from it with a yelp.

"Is it true that everything will be destroyed? Seems to me that all the creatures below the ground won't be harmed," Grues asked.

"They will pass just as quickly as the creatures above land and in the walls," Majeste said, her eyes sparkling as she had an idea. Perhaps, she reasoned, if she frightened Grues and then angered him, he would work himself into such a rage that he would lead them to the abyss without meaning to. "The Goblin King and the ruler of Crystalla shall be the last ones remaining. From what I have heard in the legends, both rulers will find themselves standing on nothing. They will then completely disappear."

"Dreadful thought," Hoggle frowned.

Majeste's plan began to work better than she thought it would, for Hoggle didn't frequently look on the bright side of things, and he very quickly began to frighten Grues.

"It's a dreadful thought, thinking of our home being turned into nothing. I will greatly miss the rising of the sun each morning over the trees of Slime. The castle looks so beautiful during sunset. I might even…" Hoggle said thoughtfully. "Yes, I might even miss the stench of the Bog of Eternal Stench just a little bit."

"Don't forget the flames of my home," Grues added. "I suppose I'll miss my home, too."

"And Crystalla," Majeste said, her eyes shining. "My beautiful home. If the bridge were to be repaired properly, the people of Crystalla and the goblins of the Labyrinth would be able to commute back and forth over the bridge. You both would be able to see my castle, with the glittering, multi-colored walls and water fountains. Oh, how I miss my home!"

Grues suddenly chuckled, and Hoggle frowned.

"What is it, Grues?"

"That was a marvelous trick, your majesty, but it will not work," Grues said. "I am not bringing you to the bridge. I am no coward. I would rather face death by the end of the Labyrinth than have King Jareth kill me."

"We are at the tree," Majeste said, frowning because her idea didn't work. "Hoggle, where are the doors?"

"Well, they aren't here," Hoggle said slowly.

"What?"

"I had a thought, when you asked me about the way out."

"And that thought was?"

"I agree with Grues, for once. I would rather die with the Labyrinth than suffer from King Jareth."

"Neither of you are going to help me?" Majeste gasped. "You are both cowards!"

"Have you ever seen Jareth torture anyone?" Grues asked.

"No, because he never has."

"Throwing a creature into the Bog of Eternal Stench is not a pleasant experience," Hoggle shuddered.

"That's what you are afraid of?" Majeste exclaimed. "That isn't torture! You can get out of the bog easily enough!"

"No, you can't," Grues growled. "It's almost impossible to get out of. My brother was thrown into it. I never saw him again."

"That's because no one ever helped him out because he smelled so bad," Hoggle couldn't help but add. "He did manage to climb out, my lady, but the smell was so bad that he was banished from every other creature. He went to live in the great dump at the very end of the Labyrinth."

"Why don't you both go away?" Majeste suggested. "Grues, I am too confused for you to confuse me any more. Hoggle, I am not interested in having a coward help me along the way. I can protect myself, thank you, and somehow or another, I will find my way out of here."

"I am supposed to be staying with you," Grues argued.

"Of course, so you can confuse me more than I already am."

"Nevertheless, I will accompany you," Grues hissed and then stepped into place beside her. "Please, keep walking. It's amusing to see how far you are going in the wrong direction."

"Now I am confused," Hoggle sighed.

Majeste did her best to ignore both Hoggle and Grues, but they were very difficult to avoid. Both of them wouldn't stop arguing.

Majeste tried once, as night came, to climb to the top of one of the walls. Hoggle and Grues stood and watched her, and it must be admitted, were the situation not so bleak, the attempt would be quite interesting. Majeste did her best to keep her leg covered up with one hand while she tried to climb up the wall with the other. There were large cracks in the walls, making her climb a bit easier, and she was almost positive she would make it to the top. Her hand grabbed hold of the top of the wall, and she was just about to pull herself on top of it, when the wall magically moved. It didn't move far, but the small motion was enough to send Majeste falling to the ground. She landed on her back and was immediately thrust into unconsciousness.

"What do we do?" Hoggle asked, running to Majeste.

"Nothing. She's unconscious. Just leave her like that," Grues said, his tongue flicking in and out as he looked at the approaching storm clouds.

"I'm not going to leave her here while the storm comes," Hoggle frowned and then reached down and grabbed Majeste's arms. He pulled her into an opening in one of the walls and then sat down next to her. Grues squeezed his large body into the small cave and then watched as the rain began to pour down outside of the cave.

"What are we to eat?" Hoggle asked as he made himself comfortable near Majeste's head.

"I can think of something I wouldn't mind eating," Grues growled, stepping towards Hoggle.

"Don't eat me, you filthy beast!"

"Why not?"

"Because it would be terrible! I would taste horrible!" Hoggle pleaded. "Don't eat me!"

"I'll just take…"

"Grues!" A voice snapped, and Grues turned to see Jareth stepping out of the rain and into the cave.

"Your majesty!" Grues stammered, doing his best to bow.

"You are not doing as I commanded you."

"I am confusing her," Grues whined.

"Are you the cause of this?" Jareth asked, gesturing to Majeste's still form.

"No sir! I promise! The wall did it! I thought for certain you had used your magic!"

"It's the Labyrinth," Jareth said, moving some hair out of Majeste's face to make certain she was relatively safe.

"The Labyrinth, sir?"

"It's about to fall. I don't have two more days. I need to save my world. Bring her to the abyss, Grues."

"And she'll listen to me now?" Grues snapped, stepping boldly towards Jareth. "You had me confuse her!"

"And just as you did that, you can lead her back to the abyss," Jareth frowned. "I don't care about her or her world. I want my Labyrinth to stay in one piece, and you, Grues, will see to it that it does. If you don't…" Jareth left room for Grues to think, and Grues shuddered.

"I'll bring her back to the abyss, sire," Grues growled and then curled up into a ball on the floor. "We cannot travel now."

"You will travel now!" Jareth shouted. "Both worlds are crumbling, you nit wit!"

"She's unconscious and you told me not to touch her!" Grues yelped.

"Must I do everything myself?" Jareth growled and then reached a hand down and put it on Majeste's cheek.

Hoggle, who was watching with interest, noticed that Jareth's cheek twitched as he touched Majeste. Color appeared in the queen's face again, and she seemed suddenly to smile. She whispered something inaudible, but it was apparent that Jareth heard it, for he froze awkwardly for a few seconds before he righted himself and then took a step back.

"To the abyss, Grues," he said, pointing warningly at the red creature.

"To the abyss," Grues nodded, getting to his feet.

Majeste turned suddenly and grabbed hold of Jareth's boot, stretching herself across the floor to do so. "I thought you were here," she said, gazing up at him coldly. "What new instructions have you given your pawns?"

"They are to bring you to the abyss," Jareth said, pulling away from her.

"And if I don't wish to go there?"

"You will go there!" Jareth snapped viciously.

"It is my turn now, isn't it?" Majeste asked, standing up slowly and beginning to circle Jareth. "My turn to be cruel and unkind. I have no desire to save your world."

"Nor I yours, but for the sake of your people, you will go to the abyss," Jareth snarled.

"Do you truly believe you can prey upon my character so easily?" Majeste asked, running her fingers along the scratch on her cheek. "You have mistreated me, therefore, I have no desire to be of any assistance to you."

The coldness in Majeste's voice surprised Jareth, and he turned to face her, his eyes studying hers carefully. "You would forfeit the lives of your people to be harsh to me?" Jareth asked.

"I would…I would…" Majeste stammered and then turned away, her long hair slapping gently against Jareth's face as she did so. "Why have you done this to me?" She asked, her voice quivering remarkably. "I am torn between saving my world and destroying you. Destroying you would be so simple. If I simply stayed here and let the worlds fall apart, you would fall with them."

"As would you, and even worse, Majeste, you would be trapped with me until the very end of time," Jareth said harshly. "Imagine, the two of us trapped together in the middle of nowhere with no power and no hope, for who knows how long."

"Once I savored that thought," Majeste said, turning and trying her best to keep her eyes cold.

"Of perishing?"

"Of being trapped with you for an endless amount of time with no one and nothing to come between us."

"Please," Grues hissed, rolling his eyes. "I have promised to get her to the abyss, my king. This talk disgusts me."

"As it does me," Jareth said cruelly and turned away from Majeste. "Tonight you will either meet me at the abyss or in complete darkness with no worlds and no hope. I suggest, for the sake of your people, that you come."

Majeste watched as Jareth stepped out into the rain and disappeared.

"Well, your majesty? Are we going to the abyss then?" Hoggle asked uncomfortably.

"No," Majeste said, her eyes dark. "Let Jareth destroy himself."

"You leave me no choice, then," Grues snarled, stepping into place behind Majeste. "I have orders to get you to the abyss."

"And how do you intend to do that?"

"Any way possible," Grues whispered harshly and then suddenly pounced at Majeste, his teeth glistening in the darkness and rain. Majeste jumped away from him and then jumped again as he pounced at her a second time. "Actually," Grues said thoughtfully, stopping for a moment, "I think I may need a bit more strength to get you to the abyss. A hearty meal would do me good." He turned to Hoggle, and Hoggle, coward that he was, began to run, shouting the whole way.

"Hoggle!" Majeste cried out as Grues chased after Hoggle. "Hoggle! Grues, stop it!"

Majeste chased the two through multiple corridors, bashing herself against walls and tiring herself out. She caught sight of Grues and Hoggle running over a cliff-like part of Confucius, and then, taking a deep breath, she followed after them. Five seconds later, she found herself standing atop a great cliff, gazing down at the abyss that separated the Labyrinth and Crystalla. "I will not go," she said aloud, gazing up at the sky that was streaked with lightning. She could feel the Labyrinth shaking violently beneath her, could hear the crumbling of walls and trees, and hot tears began to stream down her cheeks. "I cannot help him," she said quietly, and then shouted. "I do not love him! Let the Labyrinth fall!"

The rain pounded against Majeste, and she fell to her knees, sobbing. "Oh father," she pleaded, her eyes turning red with crying, "Why must it come to this? Our two worlds have been at war for so long. Must I be the one to prevent peace? Why must I always be the one to yield, to submit and humble myself?"

"Look!" Toby shouted, pointing at two creatures that were running full speed towards him and Sir Didymus. "That's Hoggle! Who's the other one?"

"A creature of the Labyrinth, to be sure," Sir Didymus chirped, watching as Grues and Hoggle raced towards them. "Hoggle, what are you doing here?"

"I am running for my life!" Hoggle shouted, jumping behind Toby. "Save me!"

"Back! Back you creature of the underworld!" Sir Didymus shouted, waving his sword at Grues.

Grues stopped and looked from Sir Didymus to Hoggle and then back to Sir Didymus. "You look a bit more tasty than Hoggle," he said.

"You can't eat either of them," Toby said, picking up Sir Didymus and placing him on Ambroscious' back. "Hoggle, what is going on?"

"Her ladyship, Majeste, is on her way here, at King Jareth's orders," Hoggle gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"It's about time," Sir Didymus said firmly. "The worlds are almost gone."

"Look at the storm up ahead!" Toby exclaimed, and everyone looked up to see the black clouds beginning to swirl together, lightning flashing violently from them.

"It appears that King Jareth and his companions are almost here," Grues said nervously, noting that Majeste was nowhere to be seen and hoping that Jareth wouldn't be angry enough to kill him.

Toby looked across the abyss and saw Jareth stumbling along, Sarah's arms around him, supporting him, as he limped along without one boot. "Well, I say," he said a bit loudly. "The Goblin King is here and the Crystal Queen will be here any second. This is all so simple. Everything will all be solved peaceably and quickly, and it will be a piece of cake."

"Don't say that!" Sarah shouted, overhearing him from across the way.

"Why not?"

"Anytime anyone says that around here, something bad happens!" Sarah shouted back, stumbling beneath Jareth's weight.

"Things can't get any worse than they already are!" Toby called.

And then, quite suddenly, the worlds went silent. The winds stopped making their terrifying noise, the sound of the rocks and trees falling became still, and nothing more could be heard. The sound of silence was more horrifying than any sound any of the creatures standing on either side of the abyss had ever heard. It meant that the worlds were at their ends.


	9. The Bridge and Toby's insane idea

Yay last chapter! I know but before you do you happy dance PLEASE tell me whether or not you want me to post the other labyrinth fic that Code Green has written. Kudos for the reviewers!

As The World Falls Down

"Why the sudden change of mind?" Sarah grumbled, her arms still wrapped around Jareth.

"I thought you knew me well enough to know that answer," Jareth said, gazing up as he stumbled along the crystals, his shoeless foot hurting terribly. "I want the Labyrinth to stay in one piece."

"Majeste will be across the way, of course," Sarah said, noticing that everything had suddenly become silent. "I mean, it wouldn't be like her not to come, right?"

Jareth's eyes glowered as he gazed across the abyss. "She is brilliant, Sarah," he said angrily. "She can see through people."

"What does that mean?"

"If she is thinking enough about my character, she won't be here."

"But look, Jareth! The wind has stopped and nothing is happening! She must be here already!"

"No," Jareth said, shaking his head. "The silence is more deadly than anything else that has happened. In a few more minutes, the Labyrinth and Crystalla will vanish."

"Send me and Toby home!" Sarah exclaimed fearfully. "I have a life to live, Jareth!"

"Give Majeste a few more seconds," Jareth said.

"With the way you have treated her, why would she come?" Sarah asked, letting go of Jareth and stepping aside.

"Because she loves her people and her world. It is all she has left of either of her parents," Jareth grunted and then winced as he stepped onto some of the crystals. "If you wouldn't mind, Sarah…"

Sarah put Jareth's arm over her shoulders again and then continued walking towards the abyss, angry, upset, and entirely terrified.

Majeste, in the meantime, stood up from her position on the ground and a chill swept through her when she heard nothing, not the rustle of the wind through the trees, not the cracking of the walls. She suddenly saw, before her, her father, smiling at her as she danced with him, laughing joyously with not a care in the world. She saw her mother, smiling as she brushed Majeste's long hair and then put a cool hand on her daughter's forehead, admiring the beauty and gentleness of her only child. She suddenly heard the cheering of her people as she appeared at the dance, that dance so long ago when she had met Jareth.

"Majeste," her father's voice seemed to call, gentle and comforting. "Look into your heart, child."

"I am looking, father," Majeste whispered, tears still streaming down her face.

"It is not like you to be so cold, to be so cruel. The lives of thousands are resting on your shoulders."

"But he has been so evil to me!" Majeste exclaimed, shaking her head. "He deserves to lose his kingdom!"

A gentle tug was pulling at Majeste's heart, and she suddenly remembered Jareth. He wasn't the Jareth that had been so cruel to her over the past few days. It was the Jareth of long ago, the Jareth who had given his whole heart to her and had loved her with such a passionate intensity. His eyes bored into her, eyes full of longing and compassion.

"Even if he's cold," a voice seemed to whisper to her, "you cannot stop caring. You are the queen, Majeste, and as such, you must behave like a queen. You have a strength that enables you to overpower Jareth and every evil force that happens to rise against you."

"Yes," Majeste whispered and then stood up taller, a glow shining in her eyes. "I am queen. I will save my kingdom."

Majeste walked with firm steps down the side of the cliff, and as she did so, the threatening clouds parted, revealing a starry, beautiful night sky. The ground still shook as the worlds began to crumble again, but Majeste noticed none of these. She had a world to save, and no stubborn, cruel goblin king was going to stand in her way.

Sarah panicked as the stars suddenly appeared, casting a brilliant glow over the abyss before her. "What does this mean?" she gasped, holding on more tightly to Jareth.

"It means," Jareth said, an evil glow in his eyes, "that the queen couldn't allow her world to perish."

Sarah looked up, and there she was.

Standing at the edge of the Labyrinth with both worlds falling down behind her and in front of her, was Majeste. It was night, Sarah suddenly realized with surprise, and stars were shining brilliantly over the water and fire mixture. The fire, due to the deterioration of the Labyrinth, had turned blue, and the stars were reflecting off of the water and fire. The reflection of stars cast a lovely glow over Majeste's face. She wasn't nearly the queen Sarah had expected her to be. Her beautiful sheer and silk dress had been ripped and stained in numerous places. Her dark, flowing soft hair was matted and scattered about her shoulders and back as though she had been in a hurricane. Blood was on her lips and scattered in tiny scratches about her once lovely face. Her eyes, the most lovely, soft color Sarah had ever seen, glanced at Jareth across the abyss momentarily. A look of softness and compassion flashed through the new queen's eyes as she gazed upon the Goblin King, but a split second later, the fond look was replaced by bitterness and anger. She saw Jareth in Sarah's arms, stumbling along with a ripped white sock and no boot.

Jareth made it to the edge of Crystalla before he stopped and Sarah moved away from him, her eyes never leaving Majeste. Before Sarah was five steps away from Jareth, he reached out suddenly and pulled her to him, putting his hands on her neck and gazing deep into her eyes.

"My queen," he smiled, cruelty in his eyes. "Won't you save the world with me?"

Sarah gazed at Majeste to see that the queen's eyes flashed angrily in Jareth's direction. She then understood what Jareth had been up to for the past few days. His love for her was nothing but a scheme to torment Majeste. He had touched her, whispered to her and flattered her only to strike bitterness and malice in Majeste's heart. Sarah saw another look in Majeste's eyes beneath the bitterness. It was a look of deep pain.

"You creep," Sarah growled and then reached down and grabbed hold of something. "You did this just to hurt her! You wretched, no good goblin!"

Sarah threw the object at Jareth's head, and he immediately released her and fell back when the boot, for indeed, it was the boot he had lost during his flight to Crystalla, hit him squarely on the forehead.

"You twerp!" he shouted, turning to Sarah, his dark eyes glowing as he pulled his boot on. "You led me here just for this, to speak with the new queen of Crystalla? I had thought better of you!"

"You need to save your worlds!" Toby shouted from across the way. He was standing a short distance behind Majeste, looking at Jareth with an expression on his face that seemed to say, "What a weird looking person."

"Who are you?" Jareth snapped, standing up straight again and glaring at Toby.

"I'm Toby, Sarah's brother!"

"Ah," Jareth said, a wicked smile forming on his face. "My little goblin friend."

"Don't you dare mess with my brother," Sarah warned.

"Jareth!" Majeste shouted from across the way, her voice hard. "I need to save Crystalla."

"And you can't do it without me," Jareth said, folding his arms across his chest smugly.

"No, I can't," Majeste frowned, stepping forward so that she was standing right on the edge of the stony ground. "The Labyrinth is also falling apart. It cannot be saved until the bridge is repaired and you are back in it."

"I don't wish to save your kingdom," Jareth growled. "You refused me."

"And you broke my heart!" Majeste shouted, but there was a very distinct tremor in her voice, and Sarah could see the queen's beautiful eyes beginning to crowd. "I offered you my heart, and you broke it!"

"A heart is such a pitiful thing," Jareth sneered.

"Then so be it!" Majeste said, her voice pained. "Farewell to the Labyrinth!"

"If you hadn't been so hard headed, perhaps I wouldn't have put you through such trouble. If you had been tender and caring, like Sarah, and had simply melted in my arms, I wouldn't have put you through the ordeal," Jareth said.

"Been so hard-headed?" Majeste shouted, tears beginning to stream down her dirty face. "Fallen into your arms? How can you believe me to be such a pawn? You were the cause of my father's death! You are the reason the bridge has fallen apart! If I hadn't been banished to the darkest places of your kingdom, the Labyrinth and Crystalla would be safe!"

"I didn't kill your coward of a father," Jareth snapped and Majeste cringed.

"I gave you the world!" Majeste cried. "I gave you three crystals to amuse yourself. I offered you the key to my heart! I wanted to forgive you when you came back from your adventure with her," she gestured to Sarah. "Perhaps it is her you wanted all along."

A loud cracking sound could be heard, and Toby and Sarah watched as the waterfalls began to pull apart and a great crack appeared in the center of the water and fire. The crevice ran as far as the eye could see, and the ground on both sides of the abyss began to shake, causing great structures to fall and the rocks and crystals to crumble.

"Hurry up!" Sarah shouted. "You must save your kingdoms!"

Majeste glanced at the crystal palace behind Jareth and noticed that it was beginning to crumble. She let out a gasp and then bit her lip.

"I'll do what you want, Jareth," she pleaded, falling down on her knees. "Here I am, fallen before you, begging you to save Crystalla. It's all I have left. My people need me, and your people need you. Please, help me!"

Jareth smirked when he saw the woman fallen before him on the other side of the abyss, her face hidden in her hands, her body trembling as she struggled to keep her emotions together.

"Why should I help you?"

"Because…" Majeste started and then glanced at Sarah. She looked at Jareth again and then straightened herself, standing up slowly. "Because if you don't save Crystalla, then the Labyrinth will perish as well and so will we."

Sarah knew, from the expression on Majeste's face and the way that she stumbled over her words, that she had meant to say something else.

"I can simply go back to the mortal world with Sarah and Toby," Jareth said, pulling out the crystal orb. "I can leave you here."

Majeste gulped and turned to gaze at the Labyrinth castle. The ground was shaking violently beneath the castle, threatening with every second to make it fall and crumble into thousands of pieces.

"If you leave," she said calmly, "then you will no longer be king of the Labyrinth, for it will be gone. You'll be a simple mortal with no powers and no respect."

That seemed to startle Jareth a bit and he let out a long sigh. "Fine then," he snapped. "How do we fix the bridge?"

"I don't know," Majeste said quietly. "The only way I was ever even able to go on it was because I have a certain power that allowed me to step onto it."

"And that power was what?" Jareth asked, putting one foot out over the abyss as though trying to find a foothold.

"I…can't say," Majeste stammered. "For it won't work anymore. The power has disappeared. Perhaps I can't even cross the bridge anymore."

"Majeste, what was the power?" Jareth shouted.

"I…can't…say," Majeste repeated, more tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Jareth," Sarah said, stepping over to the king's side. "I know what it is."

"And that would be?"

"Love, you creep!" Toby shouted, and Sir Didymus promptly stabbed the boy in the foot. "She loved you!"

"But that love is gone," Sarah said, seeing Majeste trembling terribly. "You really hurt her, and she didn't deserve it."

"So love will build the bridge again?" Jareth snorted and then laughed. "Please, Sarah. Now is not the time for jokes."

"It makes sense," Hoggle said slowly. "Perhaps if you say kind things and get over your problems aloud in a reasonable way, the bridge will rebuild itself."

"If you want to keep your title as Goblin King you have to save your kingdom," Sarah said coyly, watching as Jareth moved his jaw uncomfortably.

"What sort of kind things should I say?" Jareth asked, letting out a loud breath.

"Are you capable of saying kind things?" Sarah asked, and Jareth glowered at her. "Alright," Sarah said nervously, "how about apologizing for everything you've done wrong."

"I'm king. I don't have to apologize."

"Jareth, you are being extremely childish," Sarah frowned.

"The castle's about to fall!" Toby shouted, gazing at the Labyrinth castle. "It's breaking apart."

Jareth caught one sight of his castle beginning to crumble and he instantly turned to the abyss.

"All right," he frowned. "Your father wasn't a coward. He was a good man."

Nothing appeared over the bridge, and Jareth frowned. He put one foot out again and then put it down. To his surprise, something solid formed under his foot, and he saw a piece of bridge beneath his foot. To his amazement, rather than being crystal, which he would have supposed it would be, seeing he was on the side of Crystalla, it was stone.

"Awkward," Jareth mumbled and then looked up to see Majeste gazing at the bridge.

Majeste didn't look at Jareth as she spoke, and her brilliant eyes gazed into the water and fire of the abyss. "I'm sorry that I accused you of killing him," she said quietly.

Instantly, another piece of bridge appeared in front of Majeste's feet. She was just as surprised as Jareth had been to find that the piece before her was made of crystal instead of shining black stone. Timidly, Majeste stepped onto the piece, and as she did, an amazing transformation took place. A gentle breeze began to blow about her, and her long, knotted hair suddenly became smooth and soft again.

Neither Jareth nor Majeste noticed the changes that overcame them as they began to build the bridge again.

"I should have told you what happened between myself and Sarah. I was entranced by her wishes that I desired to fulfill. My granting of her wishes caused me to be blinded and fall madly in love with her. Please, forgive me for my cruelty."

"I should have been more understanding of you and had enough faith to know that you were enchanted. I forgive you."

"I shouldn't have put you through such torment."

"I shouldn't have stayed away from you for so long."

"I only wanted to make you care for me."

"I should have shown you my care long ago."

With each piece of bridge that was repaired, Jareth and Majeste became more brilliant. Jareth's tattered black clothes were replaced with the glittering black velvet suit of so long ago when he had first danced with Sarah. His blonde hair was moved back into its normal wild place, and the edges of his hair were tipped with blue. Majeste's long hair somehow became pinned up the back of her head, leaving a few beautiful, crimpy strands about her face. Her tattered, dirty dress was miraculously replaced with a beautiful flowing dress made of light purple, blue, pink, and orange. It was wrapped gently about her, making each step she took more graceful and elegant. On her forearm appeared a beautiful crystal bracelet, and on her forehead a crown of crystal in the shape of a V. Within

seconds, Majeste had transformed into the beautiful, glorious queen that she was and Jareth had become the attractive, powerful king that he seemed to always have been.

Sarah, Toby, Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo could only gaze in disbelief as Jareth became more spectacular than ever and Majeste became the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen.

"Pretty," was all Ludo could think of to say.

Toby uttered a quiet, "Weird," on his side of the abyss.

Jareth and Majeste arrived in the center of the bridge and gazed with confusion at the foot-long space that still existed between both halves of the bridge.

"Why has this not closed up?" Majeste asked, gazing up at Jareth and giving a short gasp of surprise when she saw his appearance.

"Perhaps we haven't said enough," Jareth said, his eyes boring deeply into hers as he took in her beauty.

"I don't understand! Everything else seems to be in place," Majeste said, gazing back at the castle of Labyrinth and noticing that it was in one piece again.

The bridge suddenly shifted, and the hole in the center of the two halves became bigger. Majeste cried out in terror and reached out to grab hold of Jareth's arm as she stumbled. He grabbed her arms, trying to brace himself and her, and a flicker of concern passed through his eyes.

"Something's missing," he said, shaking his head.

"But what? We have done everything we can," Majeste said, trembling from fear as the halves moved yet another inch apart, all thoughts of cruelty and hardness having been erased from her mind.

Toby watched the two on the bridge, just as confused as everyone else. A sudden inspiration passed through his twelve-year-old mind, and he cringed at his thought. "Gross," he told himself. "Sick, and yet it makes sense. Why do I have to be the one to figure this out?" He rolled his eyes and then shouted across the abyss, "Kiss her already, Goblin King! It's the only way!"

"Kiss her?" Jareth growled, starting at the thought. "Lower my pride to kiss her and save our worlds? I have both worlds in the palm of my hand. Why should I do that?"

Jareth felt Majeste trembling in his grip, terrified of falling into the abyss and losing her world. He gazed at her face, at the fair, soft skin, the beautiful, expressive eyes, the gentle, pure lips. She was beautiful, and he suddenly realized that even if he had both worlds, it wouldn't be worth it without such a woman at his side.

"What are you thinking?" Majeste shivered, gazing into Jareth's intense eyes. "You wouldn't…"

"You yourself said we have to save our worlds. I'm beginning to think you were right."

"Jareth, you wouldn't. I've tried too hard to disdain you, and I loathe the idea of you…" Majeste began, but she was never able to finish.

Jareth tightened his hold on Majeste's arms and stepped forward. In one smooth motion, the Goblin King craned his neck and pressed his lips against the crystal queen's, tilting her back slightly as he did so. Had Majeste been able to make any noise, she would have gasped with surprise, but she was unable to move, unable to pull away.

Jareth's kiss was fast, but effective, for as he pulled his mouth away from Majeste's, the bridge closed up entirely. He noticed that the stone and crystal of the bridge became intertwined, and he couldn't help but smile. A kiss, of all things, managed to hold the worlds together.

Majeste was breathing rapidly, her heart pounding wildly as Jareth softened his grip on her. "You…you…"she sputtered, her eyes wide with surprise. "I…how…why…" She stopped, at a loss for words, the miraculous, passionate sensations of love flowing through her body again as she imagined, just for a few seconds, that Jareth was the same kind, adoring goblin he had once been.

"I lowered my pride for you," Jareth said, looking at her again, a small smile on his face. "I became your slave."

Majeste's fingers went to her lips and she tried desperately to stop herself from trembling. Jareth watched her, noting her attempt to regain her composure. She was the most beautiful creature in all the worlds, and he realized suddenly that he had rather enjoyed that first kiss. Her mouth was soft and pleasant, and he lowered his neck again, wanting another kiss. He put his arms around her and drew her close to him, holding her against him.

Majeste knew what he wanted, and she pulled her head back a bit, uncertain as to Jareth's new, awkward behavior. Was he actually daring to lower his pride enough for him to demonstrate love towards her, or was this another trick to become ruler of Crystalla and to save the Labyrinth? But, the Labyrinth and Crystalla had already been rescued, so why, after that was said and done, was Jareth trying to get so close to her, trying to spark the passion that had always been there, just hidden away for a short time?

"Jareth, one kiss was enough to save the worlds," Majeste said, and to her discomfort, she found herself whispering.

"I want one thing from you," Jareth whispered, his eyes closed and his mouth near Majeste's ear.

"And that would be?" Majeste said, still uncomfortable and her breathing audible as she tried to control the rapid beating of her heart and the strong flow of emotions that were rushing through her.

"Your heart," he whispered, his lips tickling her ear as he moved his face to hers and put his nose on hers.

"I…don't…know," Majeste stammered, his breath warm against her face. She put her hand on his cheek in an attempt to move him away from her, but she found her hand stuck there and she wondered if it was some of Jareth's magic. She knew better than that and couldn't help but smile as Jareth kissed her cheek.

"Fear me, love me, do as I say," he whispered, his hand coming up to her neck and stroking her cheek as his mouth neared hers again.

"Your eyes can be so cruel," Majeste choked, still trying to fight but no longer succeeding, for Jareth's lips touched hers again, and unlike the first kiss, Majeste found herself melting. She wrapped her arms around the Goblin King, allowing him to hold her and for his kiss to become something deeper than what the first one had been. She found that she could have held him forever, that she loved his hand on her face and the other around her waist, holding her close. She let herself be overcome again by his great love for her and could only stand in his arms, enjoying every sensation that each kiss had to offer.

Toby, still standing at the Labyrinth's edge, grossed out beyond all belief or explanation, could only utter one exclamation. "Oh, dude!" A second later, with all thanks to the Goblin King's magic, a filthy sock found its way to Toby's mouth and promptly gagged him.

Sarah watched Majeste and Jareth with amazement, smiling, for she knew that Jareth had finally met his match and was where he belonged. The two were so beautiful together and were so perfect for each other.

Majeste somehow found the strength to pull slightly away from Jareth, and she shook her head, awakening from what she believed to be another dream. Jareth didn't seem eager to let her go, for he stayed close to her and kept his mouth on the hair that lay gently against her face. Majeste saw Sarah standing on the soil of Crystalla and then looked up at Jareth, tears in her eyes. The crystal orb that Jareth had been hiding appeared in her hand, and she moved him a few inches away from her and held it out to him, her hand shaking.

"Jareth," she said, watching the colors swirling in the orb. "Take this and use it. I want you to go back with Sarah to the world of the mortals."

"What?" Jareth asked, taking his mouth away from her hair and running one of her strands of hair through his gloved fingers.

"Use this to go back with Sarah. It has one wish left in it. Use it," Majeste said sadly. "I know you love Sarah. The kisses were to save the worlds. Now that they are saved, you are free to go back. The Labyrinth can find a new leader, and you can be happy."

"But why?" Jareth asked, finding his voice again, for the few moments of romance had thrown him into a realm where no words were necessary, and he was more interested in holding Majeste to him and engaging again in romance rather than talking.

"Because I love you," Majeste said calmly, still holding the orb out to him.

"If you loved me, you would keep me here," Jareth said, the dark look coming into his eyes again.

"No," Majeste said, shaking her head. "I want you to be happy. Love is selfless and puts others before itself."

Jareth took the orb, allowing his fingers to slide across Majeste's small hand as he did so. He gazed into the crystal and noted the sad expression on Majeste's face as he did so.

"I wish," Jareth started, his eyes glowing eerily in the starlight, "that I shall always be with Majeste, the Crystal Queen." The colors in the orb swirled around violently, and then the orb slowly began to fade. In a matter of seconds, it had vanished altogether.

Majeste gasped and took a step away from him, her breathing coming rapidly. "Jareth, why? That was your one chance!"

Jareth smiled slightly and put his hand back down again. "Because, love is selfless and it puts others before itself."

"You didn't really want to wish that," Majeste said, shaking her head.

Jareth stepped over to her again and took her hands in his. "I have wanted to wish that ever since I first met you."

Majeste shivered at his touch, and her voice wavered, as she asked, "Why didn't you, then?"

Jareth smiled again and gazed into her eyes. "I didn't deserve you. I still don't deserve you." He bent low and kissed her hands, and Majeste could only gaze at him with admiration. Perhaps there was more to him than just pride and selfishness. He had given himself to her, and she understood that there was no greater gift he could have given.

"Rise, King Jareth of the Goblins," she said, and Jareth stood, gazing at her fondly.

"What can I do for you? Whatever you wish, I will do it."

"Stand still," Majeste smiled, and then, ever so lovingly, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him, putting her arms around his neck and holding him close.

"Hoggle, I believe Toby and I should leave now," Sarah called across the way, watching the two on the bridge and feeling as though she was intruding.

"How are you going to get back?"

An orb suddenly appeared in Sarah's hands, and she smiled at Majeste. Majeste gave her a small smile in return and then became absorbed with Jareth again.

Sarah held the orb out in her hand and spoke, "I wish that Toby and I could return home and that Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo could come and then return to the Labyrinth a few minutes later."

Instantly, Sarah, Hoggle, Ludo, and Toby appeared in Sarah's room. It was just the way she had left it, with luggage all over the room and her bed still covered with clothes.

"I didn't realize you had such a romantic mind, Toby," Sarah teased, messing up Toby's hair and then walking over to her bed.

"It was so obvious, and I'm not romantic," Toby frowned, pulling the sock out of his mouth and tossing it away. "That was disgusting. How can people do that?"

Sarah rolled her eyes and turned to Ludo, Hoggle, and Sir Didymus. "Thank you all for your help," she smiled, and then hugged each of them. "I wish you could stay here forever, but you have a wedding to attend, I'm sure."

"As do you," another voice suddenly said, and Sarah and Toby turned to see Jareth standing near the windows, his arms folded across his chest. "You shall see me again, Sarah."

Several people were standing around Jareth, all of them with slightly pointed ears, wild hair, and elaborate clothing.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, amazed.

"These," Jareth said, gesturing to the people, "are my goblins."

"But they aren't…"

"Goblins?" Jareth grinned. "Yes, they are. The curse is ended. Everyone can now go back and forth freely from Crystalla and the Labyrinth. These are my people."

"I can't believe you didn't figure that out," Toby snorted.

"You, Toby, must watch your mouth, or you might still become a goblin," Jareth warned, and then turned towards the window. "I have preparations that must be made. Farewell, Sarah. I will see you again."

"Farewell, Jareth," Sarah smiled and then watched as the Goblin King and his people disappeared.

"Look at this," Toby said, holding up a blue gem in his hand.

"He must have left it for you. Be careful with it," Sarah warned.

"He left something for you, too," Toby said. "Look at your bracelet."

Sarah held up her wrist and looked at the beautiful crystal bracelet with a dark purple gem hanging from it. "Beautiful," she smiled. "I do hope," she frowned, "that these gems don't have any mischievous goblin powers in them."

"We must leave now," Hoggle said as he, Ludo, and Sir Didymus began to fade. "We will see you both soon."

"Good bye," Sarah smiled sadly and waved at them. "I will miss all of you."

The three disappeared and Sarah sighed. "Again, they leave me."

"Such a pity," Toby said, and the familiar tone in his voice made Sarah look at him with shock. Her brother's eyes were amazingly bright and he was gazing at the gem he had been given. Was it just a trick of the imagination, or were his ears slightly pointed and his hair tipped with red?

"Toby!" Sarah shouted, grabbing the gem from him and gazing at it.

Toby shook his head and then smiled, looking like his old self again. "Do you think we will really be invited to Jareth and Majeste's wedding?"

Sarah sighed with relief and then shook her head, putting his gem on her vanity as she did so. "I think," she said slowly, a small smile playing about her lips, "that we shall be seeing the both of them again, for I can never seem to rid myself entirely of Jareth."

She then put an arm around Toby's shoulder and laughed, both of them shaking their heads and grinning.

The End


End file.
